


Safe From Doubt

by AllOfTheChaos



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Monsters, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllOfTheChaos/pseuds/AllOfTheChaos
Summary: After Thomas fails an audition of a lifetime Roman goes silent.Days pass as no word comes from the fanciful side.Virgil, Patton and Logan's worry grows until they decide to take matters into their own hands and look for the prince.What they find in Roman's room is a fairy tale world on the brink of war.Now the three sides must find their way through the magical land, face dangerous creatures and reach the prince in time.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 59
Kudos: 26





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! ^_^
> 
> So this is something I've been working on for a while and am happy to be able to finally start posting it. It's about 90% done so updates should be pretty regular. Every other day. 
> 
> Also this takes place after Deceit was introduced but before the wedding and callback situation. 
> 
> Please pardon any mistakes I may have made, it do not have a beta.

Today was the day.

And everyone was excited.

Well at least Patton and Roman were; Logan was as well but he would never show it, although Patton could always tell.

Virgil was not doing very well despite what he told them. But that was considered standard procedure by now so the others weren’t worried.

The anxious side was currently with Thomas but soon he’d be with them and Morality could cheer him up.

Thomas was auditioning for a big play today.

For the past two weeks everyone but mainly Roman had been helping Thomas prepare.

He was auditioning for a main role for a play. A friend of his who worked at the theater lend him a hand and convinced the director to give him a shot.

Thomas had been working tirelessly, performed it in the mind-theater every other day with Roman. 

And the best part was that Thomas was doing an amazing job.

He was great. They all knew it. They all loved it.

They even found Deceit watching them practice one time. He even stood up and gave a curt applause, before suggesting Thomas perform in front of his friends; which surprisingly was a great idea.

He did and they loved it too.

Roman was almost bursting with self-confidence by the time they finished. 

***

Patton settled in the living room in front of the big screen with a bowl of popcorn in his lap, his legs bouncing excitedly on the carpet.

A few moments later Logan walked in; back straight, with a neutral expression on his face but the way he was squeezing his hands behind his back Patton could tell he was nervous.

The logical side spared him a glance. “If you keep bouncing your legs like that you will spill your popcorn.”

“Oh, but I can’t help it Logan! I’m SO excited!”

“Yes well, try and contain yourself.” He muttered before sitting down in one of the armchairs.

As the silence was staring to settle in the room, Roman suddenly burst in with a victorious cry.

“ ‘Tis the day my fellow sides! ” He declared as he swung his sword around. Logan flinched back annoyed as its tip came dangerously close to nipping him.

“I will slay the competition with my amazing talent and victory will be ours!” He raised the sword in the air as a source-less gust of wind blew towards him dramatically.

“YEAH!” Patton cheered excitedly, lifting his bowl of popcorn in the air.

Logan just stared, unimpressed. 

Roman, without breaking his pose and with the wind still blowing his hair, gave the logical side an offended look.

Logan raised a brow.

Patton nudged him with his foot.

The logical side rolled his eyes before lifting his hand slightly and declaring in a monotone voice. “Huzzah.”

Roman grinned and thrust his sword into the air again. “Victory!”

Patton giggled.

**_“Okay, here we go.”_ **

The three sides heard Thomas’s voice from the screen and immediately looked up. They watched through Thomas’s eyes as the person right before him was finishing his audition.

There was a quiet thud as Virgil landed in the living room.

They could all see he was shaking but despite that his lips pull into a smile as he lifted his hand towards Roman.

“Your turn.”

Roman grinned and gave him a high-five before disappearing.

Virgil turned to Patton and the parental side saw his face shift into one of distress. “Holy shit, Patton, I’m gonna freak out so fucking hard!”

Patton immediately jumped to his feet and grasped the anxious side’s outstretched hands. “Oh gosh! Don’t do that, kiddo, its okay.” He rubbed his hands reassuringly.

“The stage is fucking huge and the judges are looking at everyone like they’re trash and the guy before Thomas was great and there are so many young good looking people that would fit the role better! How is Thomas gonna do this?!”

"Kiddo, kiddo, relax!"

Virgil grabbed Patton’s shirt and yanked him forward. “Pops, I’m gonna lose my shit!”

“Virgil, look at me please.” Logan’s even voice cut through the panic.

The anxious side’s head snapped in his direction.

“I would advise you to do your breathing exercise.”

“Oh, yeah! That’s a great idea Logan!” Patton piped up as he led Virgil to the couch. They both started doing the breathing exercise

_In…Out_

_In…Out_

_In…Out_

After a few moments Virgil managed to calmed down a little.

**_“Thomas Sanders!”_ **

“FUCK!” Virgil’s screeched as an unfamiliar voice came from the screen.

Everyone tensed.

They watched as Thomas walked into the middle of the stage and look down at the three judges looking at him.

“I can’t watch this.” Virgil groaned pulling his hood over his eyes and curling into Patton’s side. Said side hugged him back, squeezing him maybe a little too hard but Virgil didn’t mind, it actually kind of helped.

Out of the corner of his eye Patton saw Logan create a Rubik’s cube in one hand and start to fidget with it, his eyes never leaving the screen.

As the audition went on a sort of calm settle in the room because...Thomas was doing great.

He was confident and charismatic. He did whatever was asked of him and they even caught two of the judges smile a couple of times.

After his audition came to an end, while still thanking the judges he was interrupted by a man coming into the theater.

As Thomas was walking away he saw the newly arrived person shake hands with the director, the two clearly familiar with each other. They chatted briefly, before he settled in one of the seats to the side of the director.

The person after Thomas bumped into him as he ran on stage with a big grin on his face. Thomas noticed him wave at the newly arrived person who gave him a thumbs up.

He decided to stay and watch him. The guy was pretty good.

“You were better.” Roman muttered next to him and Thomas went red, unable to stop the small smile that crept over his face.

He shook his head and headed home.

On the way back, still bubbling with pride, he called his friends to invite them over for a little celebration.

Roman was welcomed back with cheers from Patton, a handshake from Logan and a light punch from Virgil.

The rest of the day passed wonderfully.

***

The next day came and went without any major issues.

Virgil popped up in the middle of the night, nervously asking Thomas when he’ll get a call from the show but Thomas told him to relax and reassured him that it will take a couple of days more.

The next day the weather was nasty and Thomas proclaimed it a lazy day. It was as calm and lazy as one could be…until the late afternoon when Thomas got a call.

It was the casting director.

He didn’t get the part.

***

Thomas ended the call, staring at the TV silently as a strange sort of numbness crept over his limbs.

Inside his mind the numbness manifested as a cold breeze in the common room.

All four sides were silent as the news settle in.

Logan cleared his throat after a few minutes. “Well, unfortunately these things happen sometimes. No matter how hard you…”

“We fucking blew it!” Virgil croaked.

“No, kiddo come on!” Patton quickly sat next to him.

“No! He should have practiced more! We had to insist more! We took too many fucking breaks!” Virgil’s eyes were wide and he was hugging himself, his voice cracking on a few words.

“Virgil that is not…” Logan tried to say but was cut off as Virgil sprang to his feet.

“Holy shit, it was me!” His hands flew to his head as he gripped his hair tight.

“I kept telling him what might go wrong and I kept distracting him and I was with him during the drive and the whole hour before he had to audition! Oh, no! I made him so anxious he screwed up the audition! Oh, god I fucked it up! I fucked it up!” Tears were starting to gather at the corner of his eyes as he kept yanking on his hair.

Logan and Patton watched surprised as Roman walked up to the anxious side’s hunched form and enveloped him in a hug.

Virgil’s breath hitched as he felt Roman’s warm body and strong grip ground him.

“Listen here, you Emo-tional ball of angst.” He said calmly. “This is not your fault.”

“But…!”

“No. No buts….” Roman placed a hand on the back of Virgil’s head. “Like Logan said; Sometimes these things just happen. Right?” He looked to the logical side who just gave a curt nod.

“Of course.”

“So? No blaming yourself, okay?”

Virgil sniffled but nodded into his chest as his panic lessened a little bit.

Just then, the anxious side felt Roman stiffen for a second before he pulled Virgil away from his chest to look at him.

Roman smiled but it was measured and didn’t really reach his eyes as it normally did. He patted Virgil on the shoulder before turning him towards the others.

“Pops, how about some cookies to lighten the mood?”

“Oh! Yes of course! Great idea, Roman! I’ll get right on that.” Patton jumped to his feet, clasping his hands together. Obviously, he was trying to act normal but the concern on his face was not making it very believable. “Nothing better to sweeten a bitter mood than some sweets! Am I right?”

He quickly grabbed Virgil by the hand and led him into the kitchen.

Logan and Roman watched the two walk away.

“Nicely done, Roman.” Logan stated, giving the fanciful side a curious look. Roman wasn’t normally this composed in such emotionally distressing situations.

“Thanks, Specs.” Roman grinned, turned on his heels and walking off. “See ya when the cookies are ready!”

Logan stood up ready to protest but Roman was already shutting the door to his room.

And just like that the logical side was left alone and slightly confused.

***

True to his word, Roman showed up when the cookies were ready.

He found Patton in front of the oven, with Virgil sitting on the counter and Logan at the table with a book in his hand.

Patton greeted him with a smile as he pulled out a second; nope scratch that, a third batch of cookies out of the oven.

“Wow, Padre ain’t that a bit much?” He asked as he settle at the table.

Patton laughed and was about to answer but Logan beat him to it. “I thought so too but then Virgil ate a whole batch on his own, so no. It would seem that it is, in fact not too much.” He answered without looking away from his book.

Roman turned a surprised yet amused gaze at a now very embarrassed looking Virgil, who pulled his hood up.

“I…I just got really hungry all of a sudden, okay!”

“I believe this behavior is known as “stress eating” Logan piped up ones more.

“It’s not! Shut up.” The anxious side hissed from under his hood.

Roman chuckled before leaning back on his chair and swiping a cookie.

The night continued on peacefully as the four talked about anything other than acting.

Thomas didn’t summon them but it was expected, when serious stuff happened he needed some time alone to process and so did the sides. A weird sad silence would sometimes settle between different topics of conversation.

Virgil insisted on staying on the counter much to Logan’s protests. He didn’t care that it wasn’t a proper place to sit; it calmed him down.

And before the anxious side knew it everyone was heading to bed.

Virgil went into the common room and sat on the couch as he silently listened to the others’ footsteps. He looked down at his feet. His toes curled and uncurled nervously.

Black polished boots came into his field of vision and he lifted his head.

Roman was looking down at him with a tired smile.

“It’s getting pretty late. Aren’t you gonna hit the hay? ”

“I’m a night owl.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “You’re a tired owl, is what you are.”

The corners of Virgil’s lips turned up slightly as he kicked the prince’s boot gently.

“You need sleep. It was a stressful day.”

Roman watched the calmness in Virgil wither as his shoulders tensed. “Yeah, I know.” He pulled the sleeves of his hood over his hands nervously. “I just… I can’t go into my room right now.”

Roman’s eyes flickered to the dark purple door.

He was shocked to see it moving; it almost looked like it was…breathing.

“Yikes.” The prince shuddered.

“Yeah. Tell me about it.” Virgil murmured, curling into himself.

The creative side thought for a moment before flicking his wrist. A soft purple blanket and a pillow appeared in his hand.

He threw them at the anxious side. “Snuggle up.”

Virgil looked up surprised. “Thanks, Princey. You’re being really…weird today.” He blurted out before thinking about it.

Roman laughed, caught off guard. “I’m being nice and you’re calling me weird!”

Virgil blushed as he slapped a hand over his face. “No! I mean…You’re not usually….uhm…”

“Nice?” Roman supplied with a smirk and a raised brow.

“Shit! No, I didn’t mean it like that! I just…” Virgil was beat red as he fumbled with his words.

Roman snickered as he patted the anxious side. “Sorry, I’m just teasing. It’s fine. I know what you meant.”

He kneeled down so he was at eye level with Virgil. His expression became a little somber but the smile was still there. “I just need us to be okay right now.”

Virgil frowned.

“Look, Virgil. The next few days are gonna be tough on Thomas. I know from personal experience.” He glanced down for a second as he explained. “So because Thomas can’t be strong right now, we have to be.”

Virgil was surprised from the seriousness in his voice. A million questions sprang to mind, because something was definitely off about Roman. However, before he could even begin to pick a question the fanciful side stood up.

“Okay?”

The anxious side nodded without thinking.

Roman grinned, winked at him and walked off. Virgil watched him go, too confused and nervous to ask.

However, he knew something was wrong. He just didn’t know what.

***

The next day Roman didn’t show up. They brushed it off.

The day after that they didn’t see him at all.

The tension slowly began to grow. No one says anything although Virgil really really wanted to but he also didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.

The day after that Roman ones again was absent.

***

**_Failed…_ **

_I failed…._

_**We fucked it up …**_

_I practiced so much…I thought I was going to do it…_

_**We didn’t practice enough….**_

_This was my big chance…._

  
_**I fucked up….**_

**_I ruined his life…_ **

**_We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed We failed !_ **

Roman rubbed the side of his head squeezing his eyes shut.

It was funny how by words alone he could tell which thoughts were Thomas’s and which were Virgil’s. The slight hysterical twinge to one of them was also a bit of a giveaway but still…

He felt them echo and thundered in his head making it ached.

“Calm it down, emo boy.” He murmured under his breath.

“Um…my prince?”

Roman looked up to see a knight, who looked exactly like one of Thomas’s fiends, Leo, gazing at him with concern in his eyes. it seemed like he had been trying to get his attention for a while now. _Oh boy..._

He looked around, a calmness settling on his shoulders as he took in his golden throne room. The sun shining from the tall windows making everything sparkle.

_He had to focus._

“I’m alright. What’s the situation?”

The knight straightened his back, clearing his throat. “We have sent the extra two units as requested. They will be helping to reinforce the gate.”

“Good, good.”

The knight shifted in place, looking uncertain. “Reports say their numbers are vastly superior.”

Roman’s face hardened. “Well, we won’t know that for certain unless we face them.”

“Yes sir.”

The prince rubbed his chin, straitening up in his throne. “Send another unit. I want that gate bolted. I would like to avoid facing them all together.”

“Yes sir!”

“And send our fastest scout. I want to be kept updated.”

“Of course, sir.” Leo gave a small bow and walked away.

Roman took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly trying to focus his thought on the matter at hand.

Unfortunately, the unsettling ever growing chill was still there nipping at the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter peaked you interest. 
> 
> I would be very happy if you left a comment or some kudos if you liked this and want to read more. ^_^


	2. Oh, Wherefore Art Thou, Sweet Prince!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post the new chapter a little earlier cause it's shorter. 
> 
> Please pardon my mistakes.

On the forth morning at breakfast things were beyond tense as Roman didn’t show up again.

Virgil kept looking at the door, his leg bouncing nervously as their last conversation replayed in his head over and over again.

Patton tried to lighten the mood with jokes but it didn’t work.

As time passed Virgil’s anxiety seemed to affect the other two because they too began to fidget and glance at the door to the kitchen.

“He usually comes for breakfast.” Patton piped up with a tense smile.

“Maybe he’s busy.” Logan supplied, quite fast.

Virgil was silently biting his nails.

Patton looked at Virgil with worried eyes. He hesitated a few times before finally muttering. “Maybe we should check on him.”

Before he even finished the sentence, Virgil was out of his chair, as if those words alone were the thing holding him in place.

Logan and Patton followed a little behind.

Virgil knocked first on Roman’s door. “Princey! Hey, you up? Princey!”

Logan pushed Virgil aside gently. “Calm yourself, Virgil. We may be interrupting his work.”

He knocked on the door precisely. “Roman? Pardon the interruption but you may not have noticed that breakfast has already passed.”

Silence answered him.

Patton piped up as well. “Kiddo? You okay in there? I know that audition was a little rough but you shouldn’t stay cooped up by yourself.”

All three sides waited but again there was no answer.

“Fuck this.” Virgil muttered under his breath and with all his pent up nervous energy, slammed his foot into Roman’s door.

Patton yelped as he watched it crash to the ground. Virgil fixed his hood, breathing hard through his nose. He looked at the stunned expressions on the other two.

“What?”

“You…You kicked the door off its hinges!” Logan screeched appalled.

“He can fix it.” Virgil rolled his eyes, entering the room.

His blood ran cold as he realized that the room was empty.

“He’s not here.” Patton entered with Logan, both of them looking around. “Oh, gosh.”

“…shit.” Virgil groaned as the panic gripping his chest increased. “Stay here and look around. I’ll be right back.”

Before the other two could say anything Virgil was out the door, running as fast as he could. He had an idea of who might be responsible and he both hoped and didn’t that he was right.

The anxious side passed all the sides’ doors and immediately reached a corner, which he turned sharply.

He was met with a long dark hallway, a single light bulb hung in the middle of it, illuminating only a part of the way.

Without hesitation, Virgil ran down it, after passing the light and sinking into darkness, he reached another small beacon of light.

A small bulb was protruding from the wall and below it was a single golden door. It was thick and looked worn down; carved lines covered its entirety. Instead of a handle, there was a knocker in the middle of the door: a snake head biting down on another snake, which was devouring its tail.

Virgil knocked with all his might. “Deceit! Open this door! I know you can hear me!”

A monstrous screech came from behind the golden door, rattling it. It was loud and bassy, almost animalistic but unlike any creature ever heard. Unfortunately, it was terrifyingly familiar to Virgil. So much so, that he unconsciously took a step back.

As the screeching subsided, there was a loud thump against the door and then a groan. The quiet lingered as Virgil tried to stop his hands from shaking. For a moment, he considered just bolting but he could not. This was important.

Several locks clicked open before the door creaked open a little. Water spilled out making the anxious side jump a little.

Virgil could see a thick chain holding the door only a third open. Deceit’s face emerged from the darkness, tired and paler than normal. There were scratch marks all over his face and he was soaked to the bone.

Deceit leaned against the door frame and raised a tired brow. “How can I help you?”

Virgil clasped his hands together hoping they’d stop each other from shaking. “Why is **he** in your room?!” He couldn’t help but blur out, all other thoughts suddenly vanishing.

“Oh, he’s jussst over excited.” Deceit smiled baring his two fangs.

“Is he gonna..? Can you…?” Virgil couldn’t help but ask as he heard other ungodly sounds from inside the room.

“I can handle it, don’t worry.” Deceit answered with a bit of annoyance. Virgil gave him a skeptical once-over which prompted the other side to look down at himself.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I know I don’t look it but I can handle him. It’sss all under control.”

Just then, a dark black and green tentacle yanked the hat off of Deceit’s head. A strange sound, reminiscent of a giggle echoed from the room.

Deceit sighed, exasperated. “What do you want?”

Virgil managed to rip his wide eyes away from the darkness of the room and focus on the task at hand. “R-Roman’s not in his room. You didn’t…?”

“As you can obviously see I am otherwise engaged. So no I didn’t do anything to your precious prince.” Deceit deadpanned.

Virgil ran his hands through his hair, looking around. His anxiety was _way_ too high right now.

However, with what Deceit was dealing with right now, he was definitely telling the truth.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.”

Deceit watched Virgil panic for a few moments before rolling his eyes and sighing again. He closed his eyes and focused, his brow frowning for a moment.

“Oh and he’s in his room.”

Virgil’s head snapped towards him. “Wha..? How do you…? No, he’s not! We checked the whole room!”

Deceit casually looked at his nails. “Did you? Did you check the _whole_ room?”

Virgil held his gaze for a few seconds before turning around.

“Also, just a little heads up.” Deceit piped up making the anxious side stop. “Thomas’s little audition did quite the number on our dear little Duke. Don’t expect different from our prince.”

Virgil turned a glaring eye. “They’re not the same.” He bit back and bolted down the corridor.

“Like two peas in a pot.” Deceit sang, as Virgil got further away.

Sharp pain hit Deceit's back as he was slammed against the door.

“Ugh! Thank you for your patience, Remus.” He muttered before he was yanked into the darkness, the door shutting after him.

***

Virgil entered Roman’s room in a huff, sweat beading on the side of his face. He found Patton sitting on Roman’s bed hugging a stuffed bear and Logan by Roman’s desk rummaging through his drawers.

“Kiddo!” Patton smiled.

“Did you find anything?” Virgil asked. 

“Unfortunately, no, we couldn’t find a single clue to his whereabouts.” Logan answered with a bit of frustration.

“Well he’s here. He’s just hiding or something,” Virgil started walking around the room and looking.

“How are you so sure?” Logan asked, turning towards him.

Virgil stiffened for a second. “Well, were else could he be?”

“A number of places actually. Thomas’s mind is quite the vast…”

“He’s here, okay!” Virgil snapped. Logan and Patton looked at him with frowned brows. “I just…know, okay?”

Logan gave a curt nod, clasping his hands in front of him. “Alright then.”

He walked up next to Virgil, adjusting his glasses. “But still I must inform you that we checked everywhere. I even checked Roman’s wardrobe, per Patton’s request, although I don’t see how there could be anything there.”

Virgil froze. “Wardrobe?”

Logan nodded pointing at a large old looking wooden wardrobe seemingly coming out of the wall of the room.

“Yes but I checked it.”

Virgil walked up to it and looked it over. “Patton, were you thinking what I think you were thinking?”

The father figure cocked his head to the side, confused.

Virgil resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Movie wise!”

Patton looked at Virgil then at the wardrobe before exclaiming. “Oh! Yeah! Narnia!”

Virgil grinned yanking the doors open; It was full of outfits.

Logan puts his hands on his hips. “Like I told you, I checked.”

“Did you?” Virgil grabbed as much clothes as he could and tossed them out.

At first glance, it looked like a big poster on the inside of the wardrobe but then Virgil felt wind against his face realized that it was very much not.

Before the three sides was something out of a fairy tale.

Looking down they could see vast expanses of green land with small lakes and rivers sprinkled here and there. A huge thick forest could be seen on one side. A small quaint village with houses took up a small part of another area and on a hill above it was a large beautiful castle.

“Oh my goodness! He has a fairy tale in his closet!”

“Holy shit!”

“How is that…?!”

Patton grabbed Logan and Virgil’s hands, a huge grin on his face. “Full speed ahead, right?!”

“Ugh…”

“Shouldn’t we…”

Patton yanked them forward as he practically threw himself into the wardrobe.

Virgil squeezed his eyes shut as strong wind hit him.

“Wheeeeee!” He heard Patton’s delighted screech.

“Oh for the love of…!” Logan’s panicked exclamation made him open his eyes and as he looked down and realized…

“OH FUCK!”

…They were falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's about it for this chapter. 
> 
> If you enjoyed it and want to see more please leave some kudos or a comment. It would really make my day. ^_^


	3. In A World Of Pure Imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 3! 
> 
> As always pardon my mistakes.

They were falling.

They were fucking falling! Why were they falling?!

Why was the entrance so high up!!! It was like they jumped off a skyscraper or something! This was ridiculous!!!

Virgil looked to the side to see Patton turned on his back yelling happily, like they weren't literally falling to their death, the clueless lunatic.

Logan was next to the moral side screaming his lungs out and yet his posture was impressively stiff; his hands extended forward as if he could stop his descend by sheer force of will.

“Shit, shit, shit! What do we do?!” The anxious side yelled over the sound of the wind, watching the quickly approaching ground.

“We…we need to…Stop…or to fly somehow!” Logan turned his terrified eyes towards Patton, who had realized by now from the other two’s faces that this was a serious situation.

“This is the imagination so…so think of a way to stop!”

Virgil closed his eyes and tried to think really hard about wings.

But the thought of splatting on the ground like one of Patton’s pancakes overpowered any other thought. “I…I can’t!”

“Think! Think of any object that can fly!” Logan shouted but by the expression on his face, it was clear this was not working for him as well.

“What…like um…like a balloon?” Patton piped up and suddenly a red balloon popped into existence in his hand.

“How did you do that?!” Logan exclaimed. Patton shrugged.

“Holy shit!” Virgil wrapped his arms around Patton’s waist. “Patton make it bigger.” He looked at Logan and extended his leg. “Logan, grab on!”

The logical side did as he was told and watched Patton hold the balloon with both hands.

“H-how big?”

“Like really freaking huge!” Virgil supplied and watched as the balloon slowly started to expand.

“That is not enough! It would not hold our weight. Patton make it as big as a house!” Logan added while tightening his hold on Virgil’s leg.

“As big as a house? As big as a house. What kind of house? One story? Two? Like a hut or…uhm…” Patton kept muttering as he closed his eyes and concentrated, sweat starting to drip down his neck.

Logan watched as the moral side’s brows continued to scrunch up. The balloon was trembling, turning into weird shapes and barely growing. Logan’s eyes flickered around, his mind racing, before shouting out.

“As big as Thomas’s old house!”

Patton’s eyes snapped open and he grinned. “Oh! I remember that!”

The balloon suddenly expanded into the exact size of Thomas’s old house with a perfect drawing of it in the middle. The sides’ descend was halted abruptly as they were yanked up. While looking up at the giant balloon, the wind gently started to sway them.

“YEAH! You did it! Way to go, Pops!” Virgil exclaimed happily, now that the impending doom was gone.

Patton grinned down at him kicking his feet happily.

“Keep going, Patton! Don’t lose focus!” Logan shouted out as he was holding onto Virgil’s leg for dear life.

The wind blew harder and the three sides’ eyes suddenly zeroed in on a small lake just ahead of them.

“That is the safest place to land!” Logan pointed with his hand and lost his grip but Virgil immediately squeezed him with both legs.

“Don’t point!” Snapped the anxious side, the annoyed panic clear in his voice.

“It’s impolite!” Patton supplied.

“And you’ll die!” Virgil continued.

Logan held on to him tight, murmuring under his breath. “I would not have died….not from this distance.”

As they started passing over the lake the sides tensed up.

“We must let go when we are exactly in the middle of the lake!”

Virgil and Patton nodded.

“Okay everyone ready?!” Virgil looked at both of them. “Logan, say when!”

Logan waited for the right moment. “On 3! 1! 2! 3!”

“POP!” Patton exclaimed and the loudest pop any of them had ever heard assaulted their ears.

And they were falling again.

Three splashes echoed in the lake as one by one the sides crashed in.

They all broke through the surface with a gasp. As quickly as possible, they swam and dragged themselves out of the lake, breathing hard.

Patton splayed on his back with a triumphant look on his face.

Logan sat on the ground and immediately started squeezing the water out of his clothes. Everything looked a bit fuzzy to him and at first he thought it was because of the water but when he reached out to rub his eyes he discovered that his glasses were missing.

He sighed tiredly. _Great_. 

Virgil got to his feet the minute he was out of the water but stumbled a bit, as his soaked hood fell over his eyes. He yanked it off and turned to the other two. ”Everyone okay?”

When Virgil got a thumbs up from Patton and a wave off from Logan the little bit of the tightness in his chest eased. He took in his surroundings ready for any threat but instead what greeted him, took his breath away.

On one side, the lake was surrounded by a beautiful green forest, with pink and white blossoms filling the crowns of the trees.

And on the other side there was an open landscape with small hills here and there; parts of a river could be seen roping around a few of them. In the distance, high mountains with snow-caps stood tall.

A flock of colorful chirping birds passed over their heads. The bright and warm sun shone among the clearest blue sky Virgil had ever seen. Even the few clouds in the sky were snow white and fluffy; the colors around them more vibrant than they had ever seen.

It really was a fairy-tale land come to life.

“Wow….” Virgil couldn’t help but stare in awe.

“It’s beautiful.” Patton breathed out and Virgil could hear the smile in his voice.

“Well, I’ll take your word for it.” Logan stated in annoyance and the other two sides turned to see him squinting at them.

“Aw gosh Logan, you lost your glasses!” Patton crawled to him, with a worried look.

“Yes, I seem to have misplaced them, probably around the time I was screaming my lungs out while falling with extreme velocity through the air.” He explained in a casual tone.

Virgil snorted.

“Here.” Patton held something up in front of Logan’s face. Before he could explain again, that he couldn’t see anything without his glasses, a brand new pair was placed on his face.

The logical side blinked a few times as everything became crystal clear. Logan stared shocked at the smiling moral side.

There were many things he wished to say to Patton in that moment but frustratingly enough the least appropriate one made its way past his lips. “How…did you know what kind of lens I have?”

“Well we do have the same glasses.” Patton chuckled.

Logan felt his cheeks warm as he looked down and adjusted his new spectacles. “Thank you very much, Patton.”

“Oh, shucks it was nothing.” Patton waved him off happily and quickly got to his feet so Logan couldn't catch the redness of his cheeks.

He turned around only to face Virgil, who was smirking at him knowingly.

“So! Where to now?” Patton exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm.

“Well the castle obviously.” Virgil put his hands in his pockets and grimaced as a bunch of water bubbled out. “I mean were else would we find Roman?”

“By my calculations…” Logan quickly got up and walked around, looking over his surroundings; a barely audible mumble of “quite impressive” escaped his lips before he continued in a much louder tone. “…the castle should be north east of here. That way!” he pointed with his hand and started walking, the other two following suit.

The forest they walked through was surprisingly friendly, literally.

The animals were not afraid to walk up to them and ask for pets. They seem uncontrollably drawn to Patton who was happy to hug and pet whatever he could.

He even tried to pet a porcupine which didn’t go very well at first but ones he figured out the mechanics it was all smooth sailing from there.

After Logan watched Patton cuddle a baby wolf and to the pup’s annoyance bop its nose a few times, he decide to bring up a certain dilemma.

“If this forest is 100%...or well even 70% accurate there will be predators.”

The other two turned to him.

“Yeah, I was wondering about that too. We gotta have a way to defend ourselves.” Virgil piped up.

Patton just cuddled the pup with a worried frown on his face.

“I believe that the solution to our problems will be our “imagination”.” He air quoted the last word.

“Yeah. Well Patton got the hang of it pretty quick so…Pops how about you try to make something?”

The moral side perked up at that.

He put the baby wolf down and rubbed his chin for a while, thinking about it. The other two watched him with slightly amused faces.

“Oh!” He gasped, excited. ”How about a blue backpack!”

As soon as he said it, a backpack popped into existence, already strapped to his back.

“Oh, oh, oh! And with cat ears!” Patton added bouncing on his feet. There were two small pops and the other sides saw two cat ears unfolded from the backpack.

“Wow.” The anxious side breathed out with a smile. Logan blinked in surprise.

“You’re awesome, Pat.” Virgil grinned.

“Did it work?! Did it work?!” Patton tried to look behind him but after a few unsuccessful attempts he just pulled it off.

When he saw it, he squealed and hugged it.

“That was quite detailed, Patton. Good work.” Logan stated making the moral side blush.

Logan rubbed his chin. “I’m actually surprised how easy that was.” Logan muttered. “Well I suppose it must be like summoning. Let’s give it a go.”

He cleared his throat and closed his eyes focusing. He stretched out his hand to catch whatever he made but after a few moments, nothing happened.

Logan opened his eyes, confused.

“Try saying it out loud?” Virgil suggested, crossing his hands.

The logical side nodded and fixed his glasses. He closed his eyes and concentrated. “Rope!”

Nothing….

Logan now looked annoyed.

“Vigil, why don’t you give it a try?” Patton suggested, while putting tree cones and nuts he found in his backpack.

“Ehh, I don’t think I’ll be able to. I mean if Logan couldn’t do it there is no chance I will.”

“Don’t let your low self-esteem guide you, Virgil.” Logan piped up from the side casually, while waving his hands around trying to create something.

Virgil bit his lip and concentrated.

“Flashlight!” He said and something popped into existence in front of him. The three sides gathered around to look at a weirdly shaped light bulb on the ground.

“Uhhh…” Virgil grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Well at least you made something.” Logan provided.

“Yeah and also it’s a part of a flashlight, kinda, so….Good job, kiddo.” Patton encouraged, patting the anxious side’s back.

“So…I’ll work on it! Hopefully I’ll figure it out before something attacks us.” He chuckled nervously.

They decided to keep practicing for another hour.

Patton made everyone boots so they could trudge through the muddy lands and to the other two’s distress, ponchos if they got too cold.

Virgil tried to make a sweater but only wool appeared. Then he tried to make a watermelon but a deflated ball popped up. His focus just kept being interrupted by other not very nice thoughts and it was hard to imagine anything like that.

Logan, for the life of him could not do it. He couldn’t make anything appear. _Like at all._ He kept trying and trying but nothing happened. He gave up after many failed attempts and sulked, up ahead of the other two.

They continue on their path after that and by the time the sun started to set they had reached a river. On the other side, the forest continued but it looked different. It was thicker, the green of the leaves darker and the trees much taller.

Patton made them rope with a hook on one end and after a couple of tries, Virgil managed to catch it on a rock.

They passed through the river with only a bit of difficulty. It was only waist deep but the flow was very strong and they slipped a couple of times.

The sides decided, well Virgil insisted they stop for now and make camp since it was starting to get dark.

Patton, the self-proclaimed father figure imagined them a campfire, bedrolls and some dinner. They settle around the fire and made some marshmallows.

They were bone tired, their pants still wet from their trek through the river; a calmness settled between them.

Well almost, Virgil was still a little on edge. He pulled his hood up, trying to hide the uneasiness on his face.

“Kiddo, you okay?” _Well so much for that idea._

“I’m fine.” He kept his eyes down, not wanting to look at Patton’s worried face.

“You look a little anxious.”

“I’m always a little anxious.”

“Virgil.” _Oh uh, that was the dad voice._

The anxious chanced a glance at the moral side.

When he was met with the all-powerful puppy dog eyes, he groaned. _Damn, he never stood a chance!_

“I’m…just worried about Roman.”

“We know he’s here. We’ll find him.” Patton said in a reassuring voice, patting the anxious side’s leg. “He’s probably so caught up in his adventuring that he’s forgotten how long it’s been.”

“Yeah but we know when that happens!” Virgil gestured wildly, some of his pent up frustration leaking out. “He usually sends a message, or a howler or a bird or a balloon or whatever that weird animal thing was that one time.”

“The baby saber-tooth moose lion cub.” Logan supplied, adjusting his glasses.

“Yeah, that.”

“Aww, Foo Foo Cuddlypoops was SO CUTE! He had a little red bow and everything!” Patton cooed, reminiscing.

“What I _mean_ is.” Virgil sighed, exasperated. “He always lets us know.”

“ **That** is correct.”

The uneasiness grew along with the silence, as the sides looked anywhere but at each other.

Patton braved a glance at Virgil after a few moments and saw his still hunched, tense shoulders.

His heart tightened as he next looked at Logan and noticed his pursed lips. It’s taken him some time but he’s learned Logan’s nervous tells and this was definitely one of them.

He closed his eyes and focused. His brow frowned as he willed the objects into existence.

Three cups of steaming warm milk and a plate full of cookies on a tray suddenly appeared in his hands. The moral side grinned, wiping some sweat from his brow.

“How about some warm milk and cookies to ease the bitter mood?” The other two turn to him surprised.

Patton watched Virgil’s shoulders slump as a small smile pulled at his lips. “You’re lucky we can’t get diabetes.” He grabbed a few cookies and a cup.

“I have heard that warm milk does indeed help with sleep.” Logan took a cup and a cookie. “Cookies on the other hand I believe do the exact opposite.”

Patton’s smile lessened.

“And well that….um…makes them mutually exclusive so…uhm…no harm done, I suppose.” Logan amended quickly before looking down, embarrassed. “Thank you, Patton.”

Patton’s smile blossomed ones more.

They finished their desert without any more conversations, only listening to the crickets and occasional birds.

As they started to settle into their bedrolls, a strange thumping sound crept up to their ears. Virgil went into high alert but Patton quickly put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

“It’s just forest sounds, kiddo. It’s okay.” Virgil spared him an unsure glance.

“I think the sound is growing closer.” Logan’s measured voice interrupted them and with only those few words Virgil’s adrenaline spiked.

“Logan!” Patton berated.

Logan got to his feet ignoring the moral side. “Listen.”

The thumping was indeed getting louder. More sounds started joining it; like the crunching of wood and screeching of birds.

There was an vicious roar as a giant animal crashed through the trees. Unfortunately, the darkness hid it, only the silhouette visible to them. Despite that they could all still see that the creature was huge; the size of a full-grown elephant.

Its eyes suddenly sparked red and as they shined brighter in the night, glowing red patches started appearing all over its body.

Now they could see the animal. It was a giant _boar._

It roared with all its might as its eye landed on the closes living thing, which happened to be Logan.

“RUN!” Virgil screamed.

It charged and so did Logan, in the opposite direction. He screamed at the top of his lungs as the boar gained speed.

“Logan!” Patton shrieked frozen in place.

Virgil bolted towards Logan, waving his hands around. “Hey! HEY! Right here, dumbass!” He grabbed a rock and chugged it at the boar.

Its eyes snapped towards him. Virgil sighed in relief, as the creature seemed to forget that Logan was a thing.

“Patton make something!” He yelled. 

“Wh-what?!” Patton was shaking now, not knowing what to do.

The boar charged at Virgil and he ran. He started zigzagging around, keeping the boar away from the other two.

“Ah…A siren! Patton, make a siren or an alarm! Something loud to scare it away!” Logan shouted back.

Patton closed his eyes as he clasped his shaking hands. He focused and focused, sweat trickling down his face. An object popped into existence and Patton gasped, suddenly breathless.

He looked down to see a dented looking siren. His vision swam and he fell to his knees. The broken looking siren dropped to the ground and a sudden high pitch noise ripped from it.

Everyone turned and Virgil watched in horror as Patton collapsed to the ground.

The boar bellowed and ran towards the dying noise of the siren.

Virgil’s heart stopped.

“PATTON!” He screamed, his voice becoming deep and distorted. He bolted towards Patton, his panic skyrocketing and his speed increasing.

Before he knew it, he was outrunning the monstrous boar. He reached the moral side with a few moments to spare.

His ears were ringing and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. He was so full of adrenaline that his body was shaking.

“Virgil! RUN!”

He barely heard Logan’s voice in the distance, as he turned toward the quickly approaching monster.

He widened his stance and locked it. Burning heat spread across his palm.

The boar was right in front him.

“BACK OFF!” He roared as a sword suddenly appeared in his hand.

It was a long heavy looking weapon. The blade was black with purple lines all over it. It looked crooked, like someone had snapped it in different places and melded it back together. 

Virgil swung the sword and in one fell swoop, the blade cut across the boar’s thick neck. It bellowed, throwing its head up in pain.

Virgil charged forward without hesitation and jammed the sword right in its neck. He was showered in dark goo as the creature started trashing around. But the anxious side just kept pushing the blade in. The boar stumbled, the light all over its body flickering before falling to the ground, dead.

Logan watched in shock as Virgil yanked the sword from the creature and staggering back, his body covered in the strange black goo.

***

Roman was standing at the balcony of his throne room trying to enjoying the night breeze and starry sky.

Unfortunately, his gaze kept wandering to the swirling dark clouds over the tall sharp mountains north-west of his kingdom. A chill wind came from that direction making him tense.

Someone cleared their throat behind him and the prince looked over his shoulder to see his knight Leo ones more.

“Any news of the units?”

“No sir.”

He looked to the mountains again.

Should he send another unit or wait and gather his forces here, he wondered. But they could not have opened the gate and passed by the reinforcement without a sound.

“Any tremors? Explosions? Any indications of a breach?”

“Nothing sir.”

“That’s good.”

In that moment the dark clouds above the mountain flickered and thunders echoed from afar.

Roman stiffened, trying to push down the anxious feeling that kept building up. He was staring at the mountains when movement caught his eye.

In the distance he could see a small flying figure with a light approaching.

Roman’s eyes went wide when he recognized the young cat-hybrid that was sent to scout the gate, soaring towards them.

“My prince!” He yelled, waving his hands frantically.

“Gavin?!” The prince managed to say before the boy crashed into his arms. Roman staggered back, enveloping him in a tight hug.

“Why are you here? What happened? Are you alright?!”

The cat-boy pulled away from him, his expression full of fear. “The gate, my prince! It was destroyed!”

Leo stiffened behind him.

“What?!” Roman exclaimed, setting the boy down on his feet.”They opened it?!”

The young scout shook his head. “No, sir! It just crumbled down! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“That’s…that’s impossible.” Leo breathed out, stepping closer.

“The units, they tried to fight back but there were too many beasts, sir! They didn’t…” The cat-boy hugged himself. “I didn’t stay to see if they made it out. I’m sorry.”

 _No, no, no, no! That was impossible. That couldn’t happen. The gate could be opened but never destroyed. This wasn’t happening. Oh god!_ His thoughts wreaked havoc in his mind as his heart pounded in his ears.

Roman shook himself out of his stupor and kneeled down in front of the boy. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did a tremendous job.” He forced a calm confident smile on his face as he patted the cat-boy’s head. "My best scout."

“Leo, do you mind getting him to safety?” The knight nodded silently and led the boy away.

Roman stayed kneeling for a few more moments, getting his thoughts and trembling body under control.

He slowly got to his feet, turning his gaze to the now raging storm over the mountain.

**_This was it....To war…._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's about it. 
> 
> And Oh boy, shit is starting to get real! :D 
> 
> I've always loved the idea of Virgil becoming physically stronger the more anxious he gets. 
> 
> Also I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did please leave some kudos or a comment. It would make my day. ^_^


	4. Dark Side Of The Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where's that new chapter at?!   
> Well here it is my friends, as per schedule! :3
> 
> P.S Please pardon my mistakes.

Patton came to slowly, his vision a little hazy and his head pounding like crazy. Logan was looking down at him with a worried, tense expression.

“Patton, don’t make any sudden movements, please.”

Patton shook his head a little, the blurriness clearing after a moment. His breath suddenly hitched as his last memory hit him and his eyes widen. “The boar!”

Logan put his hands on his chest to prevent him from getting up. “It’s fine…Virgil took care of it.” Patton froze, seeing the uncomfortableness on Logan’s face and the way his eyes kept flickered to the right.

The moral side turned sharply and saw Virgil sitting on the ground in front of the corpse of the boar.

Patton slowly got to his feet, despite Logan’s protests and made his way to the anxious side. He kneeled next to him, wincing slightly as he did.

He looked at Virgil with his hood up, a strange looking sword in his hand and covered in black goo. After a few moments of silence he asked.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“I killed Roman’s creation…” Virgil replied guiltily.

Patton took a deep shaky breath, his eyes flickering to the creature for a moment. “You saved my life.” He insisted putting a hand on the anxious side's back and inching closer.

“Also you do not know if it’s Roman’s creature.” The logical side’s voice piped up from their right, startling them. They looked up to see him standing next to them, staring at the boar.

“And you had no choice.” Patton tried again.

“Doesn’t matter…I destroyed something from Thomas’s imagination.”

Logan and Patton shared a concerned look before the moral side pulled Virgil against his chest, hugging him. Logan put a hand on Virgil’s head patting it gently albeit rather awkwardly.

They stayed liked that for a while, uncertain what else to say in this situation. After the tension had lessened Patton convinced the other two to move their camp away from the corpse and closer to the river.

The father figure created a tent so they could be hidden and together. Unfortunately, the minute he did his knees buckled. It was a good thing Virgil had quick reflexes.

The anxious side immediately helped him sit down and gave him some water, looking very worried.

“Alright, so as I expected.” Logan said, looking rather cross with the moral side. “Creation here has its limitations.”

“Yeah, I’m pooped.” Patton nodded, looking like he’d run a mile.

Logan glanced to Virgil. “Virgil, you and I must master this skill as soon as possible. Patton cannot bear the whole weight of creating.”

“Hey good news is, Virgil’s already getting better at it. He made this cool looking sword!” Patton supplied with a smile.

Virgil held up the weapon. “I wouldn’t call it cool. It’s kinda janky looking.”

“Nevertheless, we must practice more tomorrow.” Logan insisted.

“Right.” The anxious side nodded. “Come on Patton let’s get you in the tent.”

The two sides went inside.

Logan decided to stay outside, to keep watch for a little longer he told the others.

After the two sides were asleep Logan began trying to create something.

First he tried focusing. Meditation was his second attempt. When those two failed the logical side tried describing what he wanted to make in detail, out loud and even attempted to draw it.

He struggled for 2 hours straight and failed every time. His frustration got the better of him in the end and he went to bed, disappointed.

***

The next day when the sun rose, so did the sides albeit a little slower.

Logan exited the tent first, while the other two packed a few things in Patton’s backpack.

They heard a surprised “Oh” come from outside the tent. Virgil poked his head out and his eyes widened at what was in front of him.

The corpse of the monstrous boar had turned to stone.

There were no details, only the shape vaguely reminded of the animal. There was no blood, only a giant rock that looked quite natural among the landscape. There were freshly bloomed flowers around it and even a few moss patches grown over it during the night. 

“Whoa!” Patton exclaimed when he exited the tent. “It looks so pretty!”

“Quite interesting, indeed.” Logan murmured rubbing his chin and moving a little closer to examine it.

“Yeah. Now whenever I want to feel guilty all I have to do is come to the fossilized corpse of the boar I killed. Super.” Virgil deadpanned and walked away.

“VIRGIL!” Patton gasped, smushing his own cheeks together in distress. He ran after the anxious side hugging him from behind.

“Noooo! Don’t say that!”The anxious side just continued to walk, dragging Patton with him. 

Logan quietly followed after them, his eyes unconsciously going to the jagged sword strapped to the anxious side’s belt.

He subtly tried to create something behind his back but nothing happened. The logical side gritted his teeth, falling behind so the other two wouldn’t see the frustration on his face.

All three sides entered the thick dark forest and quickly disappeared.

***

After they had trudged around for some time they came to a horrible realization. 

“We’re lost aren’t we?” Virgil said with a slight hint of worry in his voice.

“WHAT?! No we’re not! We’re fine.” Patton patted the anxious side’s back in reassurance, even though it was clear he didn’t believe it.

“We’re just…um…”

“Lost.” Logan confirmed casually. “We are definitely lost.”

Virgil threw his hands in the air in exasperation, his tone getting more anxious. “It all looks the same and it feels like we’ve been walking around for hours!”

“If my calculations are correct we’ve been in this forest for 3 hours…give or take a few minutes.” Logan adjusted his glasses looking around.

“Great!” Virgil groaned.

“Oh gosh.” The moral side hugged himself nervously.

Logan saw at the other sides' uneasiness and felt something swell in his chest, making it puff out. 

“Not to worry, I believe I can easily traverse this forest with a few simple items.”

“Well why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Virgil exclaimed annoyed.

“Um…” Logan turned his back to him, pretending to be expecting things. “Well you didn’t ask.”

“Oh for fu…!”

“Oh Logan, really?!” Patton jumped in front of the anxious side, with an awkward smile.

“Of course.” Logan nodded, gaining confidence. “The only thing I will need is a compass and some chalk.”

Patton waved his hands around and quickly popped the items into existence, handing them over to the logical side.

Logan cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.

“We should mark our position so we know where we’ve been. That way we will not be going into circles.” He walked up to one of the trees and marked it with an X.

“Ohhhh!” Patton nodded eagerly.

Virgil just shoved his hands in his pockets, raising a brow.

“And now all we will have to do is…” Logan paused for dramatic effect and flipped the cap of the compass open.

The needle spun.

….and spun.

…and kept spinning.

Logan frowned. “Patton, I’m afraid you didn’t make this correctly.”

The moral side’s eyes went wide. “What?! No, I…I’m sure I did.”

He put one hand on his hip and waved the compass around in his other hand, showing the still spinning needle. “Well obviously you didn’t.”

Patton’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I…I’m sorry…I thought…”

Virgil put a hand around his shoulders the minute he felt the moral side’s anxiety spike up. “Hey, It’s fine Pat. Just make a new one.”

Patton glanced at Logan nervously before leaning towards Virgil and whispering. “It’s supposed to point north right?”

“Yeah.”

The moral side nodded and focused for a few moments before a golden compass appeared in the air and fell in his hands.

“I’ll give it to him.” Virgil smiled, snatching the compass. He walked over to the logical side and handed it over.

“He’s doing his best. No need to be a dick about it.” He whispered, glaring at Logan.

Logan blinked a few times surprised, glancing at the two sides.

“That was not my intention.” He snapped, feeling a strange tightness in his chest. He turned around and opened the compass.

The needle spun.

_…and spun._

The tightness grew and Logan realized it was guilt. Dread accompanied it moments later as his eyes watched the needle.

“Is...Is it working?” Patton’s tiny voice piped up.

“Yes, it’s working perfectly. Good job, Patton.”

Patton sighed relived but Virgil only raised a brow at the logical side’s monotone voice.

Logan raised his head as his eyes looked around nervously.

“This way.” Thankfully his voice didn’t betray him.

The sides continued through the forest.

_The compass didn’t work._

Logan marked the trees as often as he could.

_Why wasn't it working?!_

He made sure to stay in the lead so he could see when they were approaching a marked tree and avoid it.

_How could it not work!_

The logical side could feel their eyes on him.

_He knew, they knew. He could tell._

His ears burned in embarrassment but he would not stop. He was going to get them out of here.

He called for a break a few minutes later and asked if Patton could make him a ladder, so he could get to the top of a tree.

When they asked him why, he said that he would be able to tell them exactly when they will reach the end of the forest.

Logan climbed the ladder while Virgil helped a very woozy Patton to the ground.

He reached the top and took a deep breath when he was finally out of that forest maze.

And there it was the castle!

_It was so far away…_

Logan looked back and was shocked to see that they were in the beginning of the forest. So they either barely moved or have been going around in circles for hours.

_That wasn’t possible._

He pulled out the compass and when he opened it, it immediately pointed north. “Damn it.”

As ridiculous as he sounded to himself, he had to admit, there was some kind of magic in this forest. Logan pursed his lips, determination clear on his features.

_He could best this absurd forest. He knew it._

He climbed down and when Virgil and Patton asked him what he saw, he told them they have only a little bit more. Patton grinned, Virgil looked skeptical.

And just like that they were walking again.

Logan thought about not marking the trees anymore but knew that it would arouse suspicion.

It also it helped him navigate so…he kept marking trees and avoided them when he saw them in the distance.

Thankfully for the logical side, this continued on for a while until…

“We’ve passed through here before.” Virgil’s voice stopped him dead in his tracks. Logan turned around, his expression neutral.

“You must be mistaken.”

“The small tree by the bush over there is marked.” The anxious side pointed to the left. It was a little bit away but if you searched for it, you could clearly see the X on it.

“Also….” Virgil walked forward, grabbed the lowest branch of the tree next to Logan and pulled it down for the others to see. There, wrapped around the wood was a purple string.

“Since you were being weird I decided to start marking things on my own and guess what?”

“Logan..?” Patton’s expression was one of confusion.

Logan stayed quiet and still, his heart pounding in his chest.

“You better have a real good explanation on why you were _lying_ to us, L.” Virgil’s tone was firm; his usual anxiety nowhere to be seen.

“I can find a way out.” He said trying to sound as confident as he could.

Virgil looked taken aback. “What? What are you…? Why are you lying, Logan?! What is happening?!” The anger was building in his voice with every word.

“Logan, you said you knew the way out.”

Logan glanced at the moral side but as soon as he saw those big sad eyes he looked away.

“I…I can figure it out, okay!” He insisted, his hand unconsciously going to adjust his glasses.

“What do you mean you can figure it out? We’ve wasted hours here, Logan! What the hell is happening in this forest?!” Virgil snapped, walking towards the logical side, with clenched fists.

“It’s fine if you don’t know, Logan. Just explain it to us.” Patton offered gently.

Logan gritted his teeth. “I CAN FIGURE IT OUT!”

Virgil's face darkened, suspicion twisting his features. 

Just before things could escalate even more, the sound of approaching hooves echoed through the forest.

They all turned to see a knight on a steed appear from among the trees.

His armor was white and gold, gleaming from the little rays of sunshine that passed through the branches of the trees.

He had a familiar golden symbol of a castle and a sun, engraved in the middle of his chest. His white steed also had the golden symbol painted on its thigh.

Virgil immediately pulled out his jagged sword and stepped in front of the other two.

The knight stopped in front of them pulling out his own sword. “Who are you and what are…?!”

The knight froze, his sword lowering. “Sir Morality, Sir Logic, Sir Anxiety?” He asked in bewilderment.

The sides looked at each other in confusion. “Yes. Hiya! Nice to meet ya! And are you?” Patton greeted immediately albeit a little uncertain.

“Oh, my apologies!” The knight quickly took off his helmet.

The sides’ jaws dropped when the face that greeted them was one of Thomas’s dearest friends.

“TERRANCE?!” All three of them exclaimed.

The knight, Terrance, grinned at them, waving his hand. “Hello!”

“How are you here?!” Virgil’s jaw was still hanging.

“Well his majesty would not want to rule this kingdom without Thomas’s friends by his side now would he.”

Patton squeaked in excitement, bouncing on his feet.

“Roman made imaginary versions of Thomas’s friends. Fascinating.” Logan mumbled, rubbing his chin.

“It is our honor to fight by his side!” Terrance bowed his head. “But enough of that! Why are all of you here?”

“We’re looking for Roman.” Virgil quickly stepped forward.

“Well we hadn’t heard from him in a few days and we got worried.” Patton added.

Terrance’s face darkened. “Ah, I see. Well the good news is that the prince is alright. The bad news is that he is preparing for war.”

“WHAT?!” Three voices echoed through the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logan, my sweet genius idiot, you are not making this easy but we still love you.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter. As always if you did I would love it if you left some kudos or a comments for me. ^_^


	5. Toxic Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ops, sorry for the slight delay but yesterday I didn't have time to clean up this chapter before posting it. But here it is now. 
> 
> P.S. Pardon the mistakes I have missed.

Roman sat on his throne in his golden room surrounded by silence he noticed that without any light to come through the windows everything looked gray and lifeless. The slight chill that he first began to feel at the back of his neck was now an ever-present coldness that had its teeth deep into his skin. He shivered looking down at his feet.

He wished he could talk to Patton right now; his warm embrace and calming smile would instantly ease his distress. Or maybe Logan whose solid facts would ground him and help him figure out what to do in this situation. Or even Virgil who would no doubt drown him with every horrible possibility and then apologize. After that he would probably help him overcome them and everything would be right with the world again. He chuckled to himself a bittersweet sort of feeling gripping his chest as he realized that he couldn't.

He could never expose them to this. It would be cruel and selfish to give his burden to them. 

He got up from the throne and walked to the balcony. The whole sky was full of swirling dark clouds. Lightning flickered inside them but thunder never came, it was unnerving, the constant anticipation of something loud and vicious.

He could see it in the distance; the approaching horde. It was enormous, their numbers like nothing he had ever seen before. They looked like a stain on his colorful lands, reminding him very much of a virus spreading through a body; consuming, _poisoning_ , **_killing_**.

He looked to the village bellow and saw that there were still people in the streets. _Not good._

The sounds of footsteps rang through the throne room. He looked over his shoulder to see an anxious looking Leo running up to him. He stopped a few feet away from him and saluted.

"Are you all ready?" Roman asked in an even tone.

"Yes sir."

"Good." Roman turned away again.

Leo fidgeted where he stood. Roman could feel his distress and prepared for the upcoming conversation.

"Sire, if I may?"

"You may."

“Sire, we...we have never faced an attack of this caliber before."

"I am aware."

"We will not be able to handle it, sire."

Roman clenched his jaw, keeping his tone even. “We will have to.”

The knight stepped closer. " I... I know and we will, I assure you. We will fight till we cannot stand on our own anymore but I have been considering a different strategy."

Roman turned fully to the knight now, his expression grim. He knew of a different way to win this war as well but he prayed in his mind that, that was not what Leo was going to suggest.

The knight pursed his lips, taking a deep breath, knowing what the prince reaction will be.

"I think the only way for us to come out victorious in this war and with minimal destruction to our land is if you harness...."

Everything screeched to a halt in Roman's mind.

_No, no, no, no! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up._

“No!” He snapped, looking away from the knight. There was no way he was going to do that, ever.

“But my prince…!” Leo tried again, reaching out and placing a hand on the prince's shoulder.

Roman shrugged him off. “Out of the question! You do not know what you’re talking about!”

_He didn't, of course he didn't! He didn't realize what that would do! He was a self-righteous fool just like him, jumping into the fray without a single thought. He didn't know what he was asking! He didn't know what that would mean...what that would do to Roman! He didn't...!_

" I do!" Leo insisted. "We all do! Please my prince, I have spoken to my comrades and they all agree! I know how you feel about this but these are desperate times!”

“They are not that desperate! Not for that!” Roman turned, his voice cracking at the end. He begged the knight with his eyes to stop. To just drop it and leave it be but that only seemed to spur Leo on.

“Sire, your knights…you know we would gladly give up anything for…” He tried to reassure but that only made the prince recoil.

“Leo!” Roman warned.

Leo stepped forward. “You’re being ridiculous! We wish to fight with you!"

_Just stop.. Please. You don't understand._

Roman stepped back. “I said no!”

“This sentimentality will be your end! Please, listen to me! We want to see you prevail! We will...!"

“Silence!”

“My prince!”

“Leave now, Leo!” Roman roared and thunder bellowed above him making the windows rattle.

Leo jumped, startled.

He stared at his prince who was leaning back against the balcony with his head lowered. He looked on the verge of breaking.

Guilt filled the knight's eyes and he stepped back. Leo bowed slightly to his prince. "My apologies, sire. I overstepped. I will lead the army out. We will be waiting for your call when you are ready."

He then quietly turned and left the room.

Roman covered his mouth with his hand, pressing on it hard, as if he could hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. He slid to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest.

The tears spilled, as the horrid possibilities bombarded his mind and broke down his walls. He quietly began to cry out there in the balcony; in the middle of his kingdom, surrounded by his people yet so very alone in that moment.

He wished for the other sides as he shook silently on the cold stone floor.

***

After the three sides drowned Terrance with questions, the knight suggested they sit down so he could further explain the current events.

He told them of the recurring war with the nightmares, waged every time Thomas went through a difficult period in his life.

He confessed his terror when he heard about the crumbling of the indestructible gate in the snowy mountains. And remembered the absolute dread that befell the young warriors in the room when they realized what that meant.

He told them how for the past few days more corrupted places and creatures have been showing up through the kingdom. That in and of itself wasn't all that surprising, for there have been similar incidents in the past but not in such a scale. 

He knew from others that the prince had not been told of this yet, because they all knew the impending battle was much more important.

As the tale went on the three sides sat there in shocked silence taking it all in.

Terrance sighed, finishing his recount. He rubbing the back of his neck, clearing his sore throat as he took in the three sides' expressions.

"Holy shit..."

"Oh my gosh."

Patton and Virgil murmured, the given information overwhelming them a little. Logan stayed silent; his gaze locked to the ground.

"As of right now the evacuation is underway. I came here to check if anyone was lost in the Raving forest." He chuckled to himself. " The last people I expected to find, where you three sirs."

"The Raving Forest?" Virgil repeated with a slight edge to his tone. "What the hell does that mean? Is it alive?!"

"…no." Terrance scratched his head, thinking. "It's enchanted. Only those with a clear destination in their mind can find the way out."

All three sides looked at each other in confusion.

"But we had a clear destination: The castle." Virgil said a little annoyed.

Terrance raised a finger. "Ah! But do you know where the castle is exactly."

"Kinda...?" Virgil and Patton said in unison, a little uncertain.

Logan pursed his lips, his eyes on the knight. "I did! I had a clear destination in my mind and it didn't work."

"That's strange. If you knew where the castle was, a golden trail should have appeared to guide you to the exit." Terrance explained.

Logan frowned, put off. "A golden trail?! Why on earth would I see a golden trail? Shouldn't I have just been able to find the way out?" This whole thing was starting to cross his limits.

Terrance hesitated, seeing Logan get more agitated. "Um...no, because it's enchanted. Magic will imprison you inside and magic will show you the way out. That's how it works. Perhaps, you just didn't believe, sir. "

The logical side's jaw dropped. "I...I didn't...I didn't BELIEVE?!" He screeched; the offence clear in his voice.

"Logan...hey, it's..." Patton reached out, touching his shoulder to try and calm him down but Logan bolted to his feet. His face had gone red and he was breathing hard.

"You...! How dare you...?! This is...! This is ridiculous!” His voice kept rising with every word, echoing out through the forest.

The other three watched him, astonished. Patton and Virgil had never seen him this agitated before and honestly it was quite worrying.

“This whole world is ludicrous and you all are...are just...JUST ABSURED!" He roared before turning and storming off in a huff.

Patton immediately got to his feet but the anxious side pulled him back. “Leave him alone.” Virgil had not seen Logan in that dire of a state but he had seen something similar. And in those moments, he knew the logical side needed to be left alone.

Patton hesitated, feeling helpless.

“Logan, don’t go far…you might get lost!” The moral side called out, wanting to at least help a little. Unfortunately, it backfired on him, miserably.

“I AM NOT AN IMBECILE!” Logan snapped without looking back and kept walking.

Patton and Virgil watched in silence as Logan disappeared into the forest.

Behind them there was a loud clank and both of them jumped. When they turned around, they saw Terrance on one knee with his head bowed.

The knight lifted his head, his face a mixture of embarrassment and distress.

"I apologize profusely, sirs! I meant no offense to sir Logan....I simply...um...!" The knight stammered unable to express himself. He gestured with his hands wildly as he searched for the right words." I was simply trying to...I understand now that my explanation may have come across as a little rude but believe me that was never, like at all my intention. "

Patton immediately jumped in. "Oh, no, no, no! It's fine! You didn't do anything wrong! Please, get up. " He walked up to him and pulled the confused knight to his feet.

Virgil joined Patton and patted the knight the shoulder. "Deep breaths, dude."

Terrance nodded as he began breathing in and out slowly. 

"Don't worry man. Logan is having a bit of a hard time here." Virgil added as he knew full well what the knight was going through. It was his specialty after all.

It took him a bit but ones Terrance composed himself he straightened up, clearing his throat. 

The knight looked to the two sides uncertainly but nodded. "A-Alright, if you say so. But I think we should follow him, sirs. It is not wise to wonder the Raving forest alone."

The other two nodded headed on their way. 

***

Logan walked until he couldn't hear the others' voices anymore. He stopped abruptly and leaned against a nearby tree.

He closed his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. He had to pull himself together. He began taking deep, slow breaths. It usually helped Virgil with his anxiety so he figured it would help him as well.

_It was fine, it was absolutely fine. He was logic and he was completely capable of controlling all these pesky, insignificant, little..._

He gritted his teeth, turned around and kicked the tree with all his might. The pain was like a shockwave, rattling him from his toes up to his teeth. He stumbled back with a yelp and fell on his ass unceremoniously.

Embarrassment quickly flooded his face, reddening his ears. He yanked off his glasses, burying his face in his bend knees.

He just sat there breathing for a few minutes

"...useless..." He mumbled to himself after a long and tired sigh.

Just then, some noise started to tickle his ears. The sound of running water filled his brain pulling his head up. In all the hours they’ve been wandering this forest, they’ve never heard or seen a river of any kind here.

He put his glasses back on and got to his feet. He followed the sound with sudden urgency, an irresistible surge of curiosity prompting him forward.

He maneuvered around thick bushes with strange curved thorns and crisscrossing trunks of fallen trees. Quite quickly though a clearing emerged in front of his eyes: one with a small shining pond.

The water was a crystal blue color and he could see tiny fishes swimming around in it. The other side of it, however, had a small dark stream pouring into it.

At first Logan thought the stream was black but as the thick heavy goo spread into the water, he realized it was a very dark red. Like blood, his mind supplied darkly but he quickly dismissed the thought because as the goo thinned out in the water, he watched the red lighten into an almost rusty color.

Fascinated, he slowly approached the pond.

As Logan looked into the water, he was surprised ones more that the bottom was, in fact, not visible; The clear water suddenly becoming unnaturally dark. For a moment he almost thought the pond was just shallow but no. He could see movement there and there was light that managed to pierce through some of the darkness for just a moment before being eaten up.

He kneeled in front of the pond, examining it. "Yet another nonsensical thing, in this damn place." He mumbled irritably.

The logical side dipped his hand in the water but immediately yanked it out when freezing cold cut across his skin. He looked at his hand noting that the tip of his fingers had actually turned slightly blue.

Logan ones again stared in shock, the word "impossible" already on the tip of his tongue. But he held it in, tired of repeating himself constantly. He would not give this place the pleasure of his confusion.

He wiped his hand on his shirt. "Of course, Roman would make a world that's main goal is to agitate me." He muttered to himself, trying to mask how incredibly put off he was of the whole thing.

Logan's eyes wandered, the sounds of the forest drawing them in different directions.

Unbeknownst to him a figure slowly emerged from the water.

He jumped a little when he caught sight of a young woman in his peripheral vision. She was looking at him curiously from the pond.

Her hair was a bright red and her eyes were a shocking light blue color, almost like ice. Her whole body was covered in green scales which flickered in the sunlight. Only her face was devoid of scales although it glistened to the eye.

Logan noticed, however, that there were also spots of dark red sludge stuck to parts of her body and slowly dripping.

"Hello." She said in a sweet voice, her big doe eyes tracking his movements.

"Greetings." He hesitated for a moment, but still straightened his back and fixed his crocked tie, wanting to look presentable. "Do you by any chance know of a way out of this forest that doesn't involve magic. "

She stared unblinking, taking his question in before giggling abruptly. "Everything involves magic here, silly."

The logical side's face fell. "Great." His shoulders dropped as he curled into himself unconsciously.

She cocked her head to the side. "You're smart, aren't you? I thought you'd have figured it out by now."

Logan's cheeks reddened as he sputtered. "I...I am! Of course, I am and I may I inform you....!"

"Then why haven't you found the way out yet?" She inched a little closer, pure curiosity brightening her soft features.

Logan inched back. "Magic is a child's tool. It has no rhyme or reason and its uniqueness makes it impossible for anyone other than the creator to navigate it." A part of Logan whispered that he was just whining and making excuses. He looked away from the girl and crossed his hands.

For a split-second Logan thought the girl was going to drop it but her sickly sweet voice ones again pierced his ears.

"The other two didn't seem to have a problem figuring it out...especially Patton."

"Patton is an imbecile, that's why he could figure out all this nonsense!" Logan snapped and immediately regretted his words. _What was wrong with him? What was he saying? He didn't mean that!_

And then something clicked in his mind.

He looked to the girl. "How do you know that?" She gave him a coy smile.

"It's hard only for you, Logan." She put a webbed hand to her chest "You just can't seem to get it. "

Ones more he felt his blood begin to boil, reddening his face. "I get it just fine. I am fully capable of..."

"Even the jittery Anxiety could make something." She glided forward, her nails sinking into the wet soil. "But you...nothing." She said sadly, pouting. "Not even a spark..."

She grinned, fangs that Logan failed to notice, flashing behind her lips.

Logan was shaking now, his fists clenched. "Now listen here! You have no idea what you’re talking about! I can figure all this nonsense out just fine...I WILL GET OUT OF THIS DAMN FOREST JUST YOU...."

"Aw, poor little Logic...so very useless in this world." The girl's sweet voice cut through his like a knife.

Logan froze with an open mouth and just saw red. "I AM NOT USELESS!" He yelled his voice cracking.

The girl's grin tore open the skin of her mouth as it became impossibly wide.

Her eyes flashed red, hands bolting forward and grabbing the logical side's face. His breath hitched as her claws sunk into his skin and before he knew it Logan was being wrenched into the water, disappearing into its depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was a depressing chapter. No one is having a good time right now. 
> 
> Hope you liked it. If you did leave a comment or some kudos if you want I'd appreciate it and see ya next time. ^_^


	6. Breathe For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter y'all, right on schedule! Hope you like it.  
> P.S. Please pardon my mistakes.

Heavy armored footsteps echoed through the marble walls of the castle hallways.

The prince, Roman, walked with a head held high and a straight back. His armor sat heavy on his body, the metal clanking with every movement, like a constant reminder of what's to come.

The few servants that remained in the castle bowed when he passed by; the respect and admiration they had for him was evident. They watched their prince's red mantel billow behind him, further expanding the presence of their ruler.

_He was everything and more._

Roman had shut his fears and doubts behind a heavy dark curtain; only confidence and determination now adorned his face, making him almost entrancing to everyone around.

_Who would not follow such a man?_

When he stepped outside the castle his steed was waiting for him.

She was a beautiful white unicorn with a golden mane; just like her prince, silver and gold armor covered her large frame.

The unicorn perked up when she saw him approaching, nodding her head and neighing at him happily.

A genuine smile bloomed across his face, one which had not been present the past few days. _It felt nice._

"Hello my dear Jewel. How are you today?" He asked stroking her neck. The unicorn bumped its head against his chest gently, making him chuckle. He kissed her forehead, resting his head against hers for a moment, feeling the wind against his face and the heavy breaths of his steed.

He pulled back after a minute, blinking rapidly and letting out a long sigh.

He grabbed the saddle and hoisted himself up; patting her neck ones more he asked. "You ready for battle my dear?"

The steed neighed loudly digging with its hoof enthusiastically.

Roman grinned. "That's my girl! Victory will surely be ours."

He snapped the reins slightly and Jewel was off, ready to bring her prince to the awaiting army and anywhere else he wished to go.

***

Virgil, Patton and Terrance made their way through the forest quietly. The uneasiness was gone, now that they had the knight as a guide. Now all they had to do is find Logan and they could be out of this forest and on their way to help Roman.

"Oh gosh, I hope he's okay." Patton had put his cat hoody on and was now anxiously fiddling with his sleeves.

"Rest assured sir Patton, from what the prince has told me sir Logan is an extremely smart and capable man." The knight gave a firm nod and a smile.

Virgil snorted. "You gotta tell Logan that, he's never gonna let Princey live it down."

Terrance looked worried. "Perhaps I shouldn't then."

The anxious side chuckle slightly. "Nah, it's fine man, don’t worry...besides..." Virgil stopped abruptly and frowned. "Do you guys hear that?"

The other two went silent, listening.

"Oh! It sounds like water!" Patton exclaimed.

Virgil raised a brow. "That's weird. I don’t remember us seeing any rivers here. "

The knight's eyes went wide with horror suddenly. "Oh no..." He breathed out and the next thing the sides knew Terrance was bolting towards the sound.

Virgil and Patton shared a concerned glance before following quickly.

Moments later they reached a clearing with a small pond. The water was murky; ones probably blue and clear was now mixed with this thick, dark, rusty ichor. The smell of rot whiffed passed their noses making them scrunch up.

Just in front of them they could see that the solid was disturbed, deep drag lines were leading into the water.

"By the gods no." Terrance gasped and without hesitation began taking off his armor.

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing?!" Virgil stepped forward, feeling the tension grow with every second as he took in his surroundings.

"Terrance?!" Patton stood locked in place, his eyes jumping from one person to the other.

"Terrance, you better start talking man or I'm gonna lose it!" Virgil barked, now full of nervous energy.

"There is a nymph in this pond. She's usually very sweet, just likes to waste your time and steal some things.” The knight began explaining, without pausing his undressing.

“Now I told you that ever since the army broke through the gate, more of this dark ichor has been showing up, seeping into our lands, corrupting whatever it comes in contact with. I believe it has affected her."

Virgil's brow frowned in confusion before his eyes moved to the pond and the drag marks. The gears in his head went into overdrive as the horrifying realization of what had probably happened hit him like a slap in the face.

"Holy fuck, she took Logan?!" He screeched grabbing his hair.

"WHAT?!" Patton exclaimed running up to the pond and looking into it, trying to find the missing side.

Terrance gave a curt nod now only in his undergarments. His expression was grim, as he walked over to Patton. "Sir Patton, may I please ask you to make a long rope for me."

The moral side tore his terrified gaze away from the pond. "I...I... yeah, okay, okay."

Patton extended his shaking hands before him and closed his eyes. He focused for a little longer than usual as thoughts of Logan's demise began plaguing his mind.

A long rope popped into existence a second later and dropped into his hands. He handed it over shakily and Terrance tied it around his waist.

"If I tug on it twice you pull me up. Alright?" Patton gave a stiff nod as he was handed the other end of the rope.

The knight walked up to the pond and jumped.

Virgil immediately ran up next to the moral side and grabbed a part of the rope as well.

Thirty seconds passed, by Anxiety's calculations, before Terrence burst out of the water, unfortunately empty-handed.

The two sides' hearts sank.

Terrance took a deep breath and coughed. "It... It’s too dark." He explained. "I can't see anything."

"Patton." Virgil turned his worried gaze to the moral side, who just nodded and fell to his knees. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Focus. Just relax and focus Patton, come on.

"…Something with lights..." He mumbled under his breath squeezing his eyes tight.

"And make it a thick chain, not a rope." Virgil pipped up.

The moral side let out a steady breath.

After a few moments Patton's eyes snapped open and as he clenched his hands, in his grasp a thick iron chain appeared, with Christmas lights woven into the loops; they shone with a colorful bright light, immediately warming the palms of his hands.

He handed one end to Terrance, sweat dripping down his forehead, and held on tight to the other.

The knight took a deep breath and dove in again.

_1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10…_

Virgil counted the seconds in his head, a white knuckled grip on the chain. Horrible thoughts nipped at his mind but he just gritted his teeth and drowned them out with numbers.

Just count and it will be fine.

_Just count and it will be fine._

**_Just count and it will be fine._ **

Patton stared unblinking at the water, with bated breath and shaking hands; unshed tears stung the corners of his eyes.

“...please...please…please…” The moral side was murmuring under his breath.

As they waited, they noticed the glow from the chain beginning to get brighter. They pulses jumped as the next thing they knew, Terrance was bursting out of the water, with a limp Logan in his arms.

“LOGAN!” Patton cried out and bolted towards the pair.

He grabbed the logical side under the armpits and pulled him out of the water. Virgil helped Terrance out of the freezing water; he looked slightly bruised.

The knight coughed and winced as he sat down on the ground, shivering.

“He’s not breathing!” Patton cried and Virgil was by their side in moments. He checked too just to make sure and when it was confirmed he immediately started CPR.

_No, no, no! Fuck no!_

He counted under his breath, his mind immediately replaying the First Aid lessons Thomas went to and Logan insisted they all practice so they could remember.

 _"This is something essential that I think will do us well to learn. You never know when it might come in handy."_ Logan's voice echoed in his head.

_Fuck Logan, no, no, no, no!_

He remembered Roman laughing at the time calling him overly-prepared but Logan had simply informed him that a time may come when he will need it but won't know it and then he'll be singing a different song. Virgil back then was going to learn it one way or another, because of how he was but he remembered thinking that it sounded vaguely ominous.

Who knew Virgil was the one who was going to need this the most and for Logan of all people?

The anxious side did 100 chest compressions and stopped, waiting for a few seconds.

“Patton, you gotta…y-you gotta breathe for him!” He stuttered getting back into position for more chest compressions.

“W-what?” Patton yelped, digging his hands into his clothes needing to just hold on to something.

“Tilt his head back...um...lift his chin and pinch his nose shut. Then…uhm…y-you need to breathe into his mouth twice. Okay?”

Patton was shaking but nodded. He did exactly as instructed, breathing for Logan and then Virgil began the chest compressions again.

When he did 30, he stopped.

“Breathe twice!” He barked and watched Patton lean down, this time more confidently. His blue eyes were so intense and focused that for a moment Virgil thought he saw them glow but his mind quickly dismissed it.

They kept that cycle up for a while, Terrance watching nervously behind them.

Patton gave a long and steady breath to Logan, one of his hands falling over his heart and gripping the fabric tight.

When Patton pulled away, the anxious side gave a particularly hard press to Logan’s chest and water suddenly burst from his mouth.

Logan's eyes snapped open and he immediately began coughing and chocking.

Virgil exclaimed in joy while Patton turned him on his side, patting his back to get all the water out.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Terrance sighed in relief, resting his hands on his bend knees.

With adrenaline still pumping in his veins Virgil sprang to his feet and started walking around, his hands unconsciously shaking.

_He did it, he did it! Logan was breathing! Logan was awake! Logan was alive! Holy shit!_

Patton had a death grip on Logan's shirt his eyes locked on the rise and fall of his chest; now so immensely calming to see in contrast to the stillness a few moments ago.

After the logical side was able to take a normal breath, he lifted his head and tried to focus on the two figures hovering over him but couldn’t. What the hell?

He lifted himself into a sitting position with Patton's help, he guessed because he couldn’t exactly tell at the moment. He tried adjusting his glasses but there were none on his face. “Wha...?”

“You stupid…fucking moron!” He heard Virgil’s raspy, shaking voice bark at him.

Before he could ask what, the purple blurry shape was talking about someone crashed into him, enveloping him in a tight hug.

Patton’s weeping slowly registered in his currently foggy mind, making him freeze. “Logan! Oh my god! I thought…I thought you died!”

He didn’t move, letting Patton sob into his shirt while his brain tried to catch up on what was happening at the moment. He was so confused.

Logan felt a strange feeling of warmth seep into him, as the moral side tightened his grip. He realized after a few moments that some of his aches began to ease while his fuzzy memories started to

piece themselves back together.

_He miscalculated. He had screwed up…he was such a moron!_

Logan gritted his teeth, hiding his red face in Patton’s warm shoulder and hugging him with one arm.

Patton pulled back and the logical side could feel his warm hands touching his cold skin. He wondered if it had turned blue. “A-are you okay?! Did she…did she hurt you?!”

“No, I’m fin…” Pain scratched his throat and he coughed. He heard Patton gasp.

“Oh no Logan, your throat!” Gentle fingers brushed over the skin and he winced. The moral side immediately pulled back.

He heard Virgil growl and the blurry purple shape moved away, starting to pace.

He wished he could see their faces, maybe discern what they were thinking right now but he couldn't because his damn glasses were missing again.

“No, It…It’s fine. She d-didn’t do…anything else. I’m f-fine…I…” He looked up, trying to read their body language but they were only silhouettes. He couldn’t do anything, _again_. “…I’m sorry.”

He stared at the motionless blue and purple blurs in front of him.

_They were disappointed, he knew. And well, of course they were, he kept failing here! Why did he keep failing them in this damn world?_

He clenched his jaw, his throat constricting. _They didn’t trust him anymore. They didn’t need him anymore. They…_

**_Poor little Logic...so very useless in this world._ **

He bit his lips, looking down. “I... I’m sorry. I miscalculated. I was…I was stupid and…and emotional.” He spat out the last word in anger, feeling his body begin to shake.

“I was such an idiot…this is not how I... you know that I'm..." He paused, feeling tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. "I-I promise you I will not do this again…I will not fail you…I’m so very sorry….”

Silence fell.

“…fuck man…” Virgil’s anguished voice cut through his racing heart, making him wince.

The fuzziness in front of his eyes cleared suddenly as a pair of glasses were put on his nose.

Patton’s tear-stained face was looking straight at him, his expression grim.

Logan felt something squeeze his heart. Oh, no. “Patton, I….”

The moral side slapped his palms on either side of Logan's cheeks, effectively cupping his face. He leaned in close real close, examining his features.

“Logan, listen to me very carefully.”

Logan blinked at him, completely silent.

“If you died, I wouldn’t be whole anymore.”

The logical side’s breath hitched.

Patton rubbed Logan’s cheeks with his thumbs. “You’re the smartest person I know, Logan.”

“But you're not perfect, none of us are. And I know that we often shut you down but we never…we don’t mean to. We're just stupid and emotional most of the time and don't want to deal with the facts but.... but we have to. You help us do that!” New tears fell from the moral side’s eyes. “And we...we care for you…so much Logan!”

Logan felt a weight on his shoulder and as he looked to his left, he was surprised to find Virgil’s head resting on it. His shaking arm was holding Logan’s shirt in a death grip.

“Geez man, I...I don’t know how...” He stuttered, searching for the right words. “L, you’re...you're my pillar, okay? And I... fuck…” He could hear the anxious side’s voice shake as he spoke. “I can’t…I can’t deal with…everything, without you keeping me grounded, okay?"

Virgil lifted his head and Logan was shocked to see that his eyes were filled with tears. Despite that the anxious side's gaze hardened as he pulled on Logan's shirt. “But please don’t let your pride make you fucking stupid again!”

Logan tried to swallow the lump in his throat, as he felt his eyes burn.

“Just talk to us.” Patton’s voice pulled his gaze away from Virgil ones more.

He just gave a curt nod, unable to meet their eyes or form any words.

He was feeling so much right now that it was hard to breathe. A part of him was guilty for what he had done while another was feeling foolish for ever thinking that they didn't care. There was also a very small part deep down inside which felt pure relief and somehow it overpowered everything else making his shoulders sag.

Patton smiled when he felt the tension leave the logical side and hugged him again. Virgil placed his forehead on Logan’s shoulder again.

All three sides stayed like that, just holding each other, letting serenity flood their bodies and ease their minds.

At that moment a loud rumble shook the ground beneath them. They looked up to see a huge flock of birds screeching and flying away.

“Oh, no…” Terrance mumbled and rushed to put his armor back on.

“What’s wrong?” Virgil asked, ever on edge.

Terrance closed his eyes, murmuring something under his breath. Moments later a golden and slightly flickering streak appeared a few feet away from them. It snaked and traveled down between the trees. It was showing them the way out.

The knight signaled for his horse to come over before turning to the others. “I am very sorry but we must go! Sir Logan, can you stand?”

“Y-yes, of course.” The three sides separated and Logan got to his feet, a little wobbly.

Terrance regarded him and his hunched form for a moment before simply picking him up and placing him on his horse. Logan too stunned to respond simply let it happen, nodding stiffly when it was done.

“There. Now we must run.” Virgil and Patton nodded and they were all off, following the golden line.

After a few minutes of maneuvering through the forest they reached an opening between the trees; a wide clear meadow with light green grass and a rising hill spread before them.

The sides looked around, unfortunately they couldn’t see a village or a castle anywhere near them.

The sound of a booming horn resonated from beyond the hill and washed over them like a wave, sending dreadful chills down everyone's' spines.

“Terrance, what is happening?!” Virgil yelled but the knight ignored him, bounding up the hill with a frightened look on his face.

Patton, Virgil and Logan ran after him.

They reached the top of the hill and a wide landscape expanded right before their eyes taking their breath away.

A white, stone castle stood proud on a high hill, a small village full of colorful cottages of all different sizes spread below its feet, like a garden.

Below all of that they could see an army full of white-gold soldiers all lined up on a bare and open filed.

Meters away from them, like on a chess board, was another army. This one by the looks of it was much bigger, darker, and full of nightmarish creatures.

Strangely Logan and Patton found the appearances of the monsters somewhat familiar. Virgil on the other hand recognized them immediately as all the creepy-crawlies born from Thomas's dreams through the years.

As they continued to observe, a lone figure stepped up to the front of each army; one, the sides could obviously tell even from far away, was Roman. He was adorned in full armor and a helmet. He sat atop a white unicorn, with a gold mane.

The figure at the front of the other army was larger; burgundy skin covered its lean body, long black horns curved at the back of its head making it seem even bigger.

It was bare-chested and they could see it had a long crocodile like tail; spikes protruded from the top of it and traveled up the creature’s spine. It had a battle axe propped up on his shoulder as it sat astride a strange lizard like monstrosity.

Another horn sounded, making everyone tense.

There was a long moment of silence before the armies charged at each other. The four figures on the hill watched in horror as they collided, screams echoing through the land.

Terrance turned to them. “You must go into the castle right now! It is the safest place to be.”

“No! Wait! Where are you going?” Logan yelled as he watched the knight get on his horse.

“I must be by my price’s side. I’m sorry.” And just like that he was off.

“Terrance, don’t…!” Patton tired but the knight was too far away and could no longer hear him.

Virgil ran his hands through his hair, terrified, looking at the raging battle. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?!”

They could see Roman fighting the devilish lord of the army while creatures and warriors tore each other apart around them.

“We must…we must listen to Terrance and go to the castle.” Logan supplied but neither side could tear their gaze away from the battle.

_How would they be able to fight this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The FEELS! 
> 
> And there are so many more of them to come and a war as well! Boy am I nervous! XD
> 
> Also check out this amazing art of Roman and Jewel the lovely gaymedievaldruid did for this chapter! :3  
> https://gaymedievaldruid.tumblr.com/post/641182475475976192/art-for-allofthechaos-and-their-amazing-fic-safe
> 
> Anyway, as always if you want leave a comment or some kudos it'd make me happy and see ya next chapter. ^_^


	7. Ones More Unto The Breach...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello here is the new chapter hope you like it!   
> Sorry for the delay but I was out of town for a few days and couldn't update the fic.
> 
> P.S. Pardon my mistakes.

Determination…

Trust…

Confidence….

That is what Roman saw in the eyes of his knights as he passed them by, on his steed. Their silver and gold armor shone bright from the sunlight. They were glorious. Their eyes filled with adoration and awe as they gazed upon him. He knew there was also fear in there but it was so small and fleeting that everything else downed it out.

_What fools_ , a voice whispered in the back of his mind, that strangely sounded like a particular snake he knew but he dismissed it immediately, figuring confident was far better than fearful. It would steel the grips on their swords and steady the stride of their feet.

So many where smiling at him.

The prince looked away, instead focusing his gaze forward at the awaiting battlefield.

As he passed by the front line of his shining army he saw his first general waiting for him. Joan unlike the rest of his knights looked grim, no helmet on their head, only a light brown leather beanie.

They locked eyes as Roman moved by and the general followed him so they could be a few feet in front of the army and away from curious ears. Joan sneaked a final glance behind them before looking forward.

“We’re fucked.” Joan said harshly, without looking at the prince.

A bittersweet sort of feeling bloomed in Roman’s chest. “Always have appreciated your bluntness, Joan.”

The general's head snapped towards Roman, thunder in their eyes. The prince could see the well hidden fear behind their harsh attitude. He could always see it, in everyone. It both eased and stressed him out, it was an odd feeling.

“I am not joking!” They hissed trying to keep their voice down. “There have never been this many before! And you are not…”

“Thomas is going through a very hard time, right now.” Roman interrupted, his voice firm. Just because he usually appreciated Joan’s direct approach, doesn’t mean he did so all the time.

And right now he really didn’t need this! Because he knew, this whole situation was crystal clear to him, that’s why he was trying to push it all down so hard.

Joan piped up again. “I know but we won’t be able to handle it this way, Roman! ”

Roman turned to them sharply with a growled. “We can! And we will…we have to...for Thomas.”

Joan shut their mouth, looking away from the prince. They gritted their teeth, pausing for a few moments to calm down. “We are not strong enough. _You_ are not strong enough like this...!”

Joan spared a hopeful glance towards the prince but Roman wasn’t looking at them. Still he tried. “…but you can be.”

Roman resisted the urge to groan. Damn it, why?! He’s already discussed this. He told Leo and was hoping the knight would spread it around but it seems that he didn’t. Well come to think of it he probably did and that's why Joan it been stubborn right now. 

“I have already discussed this and the answer is no.”

“But...!”

“No Joan!” Roman braked, glaring at his general. “Now get to position, we’re departing.”

Joan was silent for a moment, just staring at the prince before giving a curt nod. “Yes, your majesty.”

He turned his horse and took his place in the front line next to Talyn how just gave them a worried look.

The prince couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, wanting to make sure he didn’t overdo it with his friend. The guilt stung him, when he saw Joan looking at the ground with a bitter expression.

Talyn grabbed Joan’s hand and squeezed it before sparing a glance at the prince and giving him a reassuring smile. Roman’s nodded appreciating the gesture and looked away.

The prince took a deep breath and finally gathered enough courage to really take in the upcoming horror that was their enemy.

The sight felt both familiar and so utterly new. He has faced this army before, maybe half a dozen times but this was different. Before it was like rats sneaking into your house; you could easily chase them away with a mop and some traps but now…

…Now there were wolves circling his home; starved for blood with sharp claws and bared teeth. They had found a new home and were ready to claim it, no matter the casualties.

Well he will not let that happen...

Roman snapped the reins of his steed and it began to move.

Slowly the army made its way to the battle field, their enemies waiting patiently on the other side; there was a dark swirling cloud above them, like a barely tamed beast, ready to be released.

His knights stopped and Roman made his way to the front.

The prince’s eyes found _Him_ at the front of his army, sitting astride a horrid lizard beast. A chill ran down his spine. He couldn’t see _his_ face from this far away but he could feel _his_ mocking smile.

Roman gritted his teeth. _I will not be taken down._

“READY!” He felt the ground shake momentarily as all his knights took a fighting stance in unison.

A roar came from the other side almost like an answer, a declaration. _We are ready,_ it said clear as day and the army echoed it, making it carry down to the very last beast’s hoarse throat.

Roman could feel the tension in his knights grown behind him; pressing against his back, pushing him, piercing him, yelling at him to just _Go_.

The prince closed his eyes, took a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth. He pulled out his sword and thrust it in the air, a small light from the half concealed sun hit it, making it shine.

“CHARGE !” He screamed at the top of his lungs and the whole world moved.

His steed raced forward his canter quickly becoming a gallop. He heard the booming sounds of his army behind him; ready to fight, to defend, to win...

It felt like a wave, urging him forward.

His eyes quickly found _him_ among the beasts; his red skin standing out amid the dull browns, blacks and grays.

To his shock he saw _Him_ disappear in the sea of nightmares as they took the front, screeching and roaring with raised weapons.

A growl ran up Roman’s throat. _That coward!_

He snapped his steed’s reins again, feeling the wind hit his face from the openings in his helmet; the yells of his knights getting quieter as he got further away from them.

The hoard of monsters seemed to grow the closer he got; like bacteria ready to devour anything living in sight. The scent of rot and brimstone assaulted his nose, making his eyes sting but he was not stopping.

It fact he sped up even more, knowing how close he was to _him_.

Just as they were about to collide with the enemy the prince yelled “Ha!” at the top of his lungs and the steed _jumped_.

Everything stilled as Jewel leaped over the first three rows of warriors. The beasts shrieked angrily below them, some of them swing their weapons but it was in vain.

Jewel landed hard, a few feet from the leader of the nightmares; the army parted around them with cries of fear and surprise.

The steed roared angrily, her foot digging up the dirt as she took a fighting stance, head slightly lowered and her horn thrust forward.

Roman finally saw _his_ face after all this time and as always it disturbed him, because the eyes, the nose, the smile it was so very familiar…so very _Thomas_. And then the blood red skin filled in the space and the horns twisted it up into something so very very wrong.

Roman swallowed down the lump in his throat as he watched _Him_ simply stare. A crocked smile slowly blossomed on his face.

“Running from me, are you ?And here I thought dignity would at least occupy a small part of your brain but I suppose that is too much to ask of an imp. ” Roman sneered, forcing himself to move forward.

“Ho ho.” _He_ chuckled, leaning back comfortably and looking way too pleased with himself. “Good one. How long were you practicing that in front of the mirror?”

“How many times will you need to lose to me before you realize your attempts are in vain, imp?” The prince gritted out.

“Ones more, I think.” He laughed joyously, a teasing tone lining his words. The casualness of the whole conversation disturbed Roman deeply.

“So be it!” He roared and charged at him, sword raised.

The lizard beast quickly dodged the unicorn’s deadly horn as sword and axe collided above them.

“A bit impatient, I see.” _He_ grinned, locking eyes with the prince as the two weapons screeched against each other. “What’s the matter? Feeling the heat on your toes?”

Roman’s brow frowned, as he bared his teeth.

“Feeling tired of you and your brainless beasts!” He twisted his hand, his sword sliding up the axe until it had no more resistance. He leaned back avoiding the falling axe and swung again, managing to nick the red cheek of the imp before he pulled back.

Immediately, the axe tried to come down on Roman’s steed but he yanked the reins quickly, making her stand up on her back legs. The unicorn staggered for a second but recovered, charging again. She masterfully dodged a claw from the lizard beast and thrust her horn right in its left eye.

The beast shrieked in pain, the horrid sound ringing in the prince’s ears but this time it made pride swell in his chest. A smile pulled on his lips as Jewel kept pushing her horn deeper in the beast’s socket, as it desperately tried to pull away.

Roman’s fury and determination grew as his and the fiend’s weapons struck each other over and over again, sparks flying around them as the steel heated up.

Finally the lizard managed to dislodge itself from the horn and jumped back, whimpering and shaking its head wildly.

The fiend looked down at his beast, as dark red blood gushed out of its eye. There was unmasked surprise written on _his_ face, apparently just now realizing what had happened. A spark of anger flashed in _his_ eyes as _he_ watched the prince and his steed lift their heads up proudly; the horn of the unicorn now dripped with the blood of her enemy.

“You think I’ll let your little fairy-tale take down my nightmare that easily?” _He_ grinned, but it was painfully twisted with fury.

He placed a hand on the lizard’s back and _his_ eyes shone a bright fiery red.

Roman watched shocked as the glow from _his_ eyes traveled down his face, neck and finally to his hand. The red light radiated under the beast’s scales as it sunk into its skin. The lizard started screeching painfully and convulsing as its body began to change.

Right before the prince's horrified gaze the lizard began to _grow_ in size. There was a loud tear as its head suddenly split in the middle, the halves growing into two fully formed heads; one head had two eyes but the other had only one.

The fiend opened _his_ eyes, a steamy hot breath passing thorough his lips. _His_ sharp fangs peaked out as he smiled. “Neat trick, huh?”

“H-how…?” Roman managed to breathe out. “You’ve never…”

Before the prince could react, the now two headed lizard, was leaping into the air.

The unicorn managed to jump out of the way but lizard was twice as fast as before. It leaped again and the two heads bit down on either side of Jewel’s long neck.

The unicorn whined in pain as teeth sunk into its skin. Jewel tired to break out of the grasp but the lizard was immovable. It hissed and the two heads started pulling on the steed’s neck.

“No!” Roman sliced with his sword but there wasn’t nearly enough strength in his swings to do enough damage; his fear of hitting his steed getting the better of him. The lizard just squinted up at him in anger and began to pull even harder.

The fiend laughed and brought his axe down on Roman, who barely managed to stop it.

The lizard beast dug its paws into the ground, growling. It swung its whole body to the side and tossed the unicorn with all its might, releasing it from its jaws just in time.

Roman, of course went flying with her, his back colliding hard with the ground. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Still in a daze he opened his eyes just in time to see the lizard drag Jewel into the ragging battle of knights and nightmares. 

“Jewel!” He croaked as he staggered to his feet.

“Eyes on me princeling!” _He_ said and just as Roman turned towards his opponent he felt hard knuckles connect with the underside of his chin.

His feet left the ground as he went flying upwards. His helmet cracked as it was knocked off his head; white enveloped his vision and blood filled his mouth in seconds.

Roman hit the ground hard, his body sinking into the cold muddy ground. He forced his vision to clear and he looked up to see the fiend’s sharp devilish face staring down at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The big battle is finally here! Oh boy!   
> Hope i do this right, I've never written a war before.
> 
> Anyway, leave some kudos/comment if you like, I always appreciate it and see ya next chapter. ^_^


	8. Unshakable...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter y'all! Hope you like it!  
> Just a little heads up cause we're nearing the end here.  
> Updates will take a little longer cause I need more time to fix the chapters up. It will only be a couple of extra days more don't worry, I won't make ya wait long. :)
> 
> P.S. As always pardon my mistakes.

The prince’s eyes began to focus on the approaching heavy steps of the fiend as he shook of his daze. He watched the claws of his feet sink into the soil as his vision cleared.

Roman looked up to see the _Him_ smiling down casually with an air of confidence around him.

“Have I knocked some sense into you? Or do you wish to continue?” 

Roman tightened his hold on the sword and slashed at one of the fiend’s ankles. He yelped, shocked and stumbled back.

The prince used the opportunity to get to his feet and attack again. He put every thought into his movements knowing that if he dwelled on anything else he’d be doomed.

_Just keep fighting. Keep fighting and you’ll succeed,_ he repeated to himself.

The fiend countered his blows, wincing when he put too much weight on his injured foot.

“You think I’ll be beaten that easily?!” Roman roared, emphasizing each word with a vicious hit of his sword.

The fiend twisted their weapons together as they connected and brought them down, managing to trap Roman’s sword under his axe. The fiend’s eyes shined with mirth as he leaned forward.

“Yesss….because right now…you are weak!” He hissed and head-butted him hard. Roman stumbled, spots flying across his vision but he quickly shook it off.

Roman took a fighting stance immediately but was surprise when the fiend didn't attack; he just stood there, staring at the prince with a knowing smile.

He looked to the side and Roman, confused, followed his gaze just in time to see one of the monsters knock down a knight and sink its teeth into her flesh.

Roman couldn’t stop the grimace as she screamed in pain. However as the monster’s maw continued to gnaw on her neck, the knight began convulsing, her body cracking and twisting.

Her jaw unhinged, her pain filled cries turning into animalistic screeches. As the sound rang through Roman’s ears he felt a _snap_ deep into his chest, one that he had never felt before; It froze his blood and hitched his breath.

It took his stressed mind a second more to realize what had just happened. He could not feel his knight's _essence_ anymore.

It was cold, foreign feeling that settled in his chest, setting his teeth on edge.

_What was happening?!_

_He could always feel it. Everything in this world, no matter how far away, he could feel it. The energy he poured into it to keep it breathing. It was always there and now it wasn’t. A small part of his energy was gone. Now there was just a small hole...._

White noise began to fill the prince’s ears.

The knight stood up on her feet, now a grotesque visage of what she ones was. She stumbled, her arms swinging from side to side lifelessly. The corrupted knight paused, her mouth filling with black goo as she salivated hungrily. Like a snake she bolted forward, jumping on another knight and sinking her teeth into him.

Roman choked on his breath as he watched. “H-how…?! How are you…?!” He managed to croak out in disbelieve but then a clawed hand was grabbing him by the neck and yanking him forward, the smell of rot and brimstone crashing into his nose and making him nauseous.

His air supply was cut off suddenly and just like that the muffled noise all around him cleared. The screams of his people flooded his ears, more snaps registered in his mind and his body began to shake as his energy flickered out piece by piece. 

His eyes snapped to his people, watching as they were ripped apart and turned into beasts.

_No no no no no no no no no no no! **Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop!**_

Roman slammed his foot into the fiend’s gut and ripped the hand off his throat; He stumbled back, catching his breath and turned to the battle. 

Terror filled his heart as he watched his knights fall one after the other and in that moment he realized that he was truly losing them and he couldn’t bear it.

“RETREAT!” He screamed out. 

The closest knights that could hear him turned in shock and confusion. However before they could decide what to do, the enemy was on them and they were fighting again.

“RUN!” He tried again.

Suddenly an axe was coming down on his face and he jumped to the right, avoiding it just in time.

“Oh, so quick to turn tail, little princeling!” The fiend laughed.

“Whatever you are doing stop right now! ”

“I don’t think so.” He grinned and charged ones more.

They battled, Roman mostly dodging and deflecting hits. He winced every time a connection snapped, his gaze constantly shifting from his people to his current opponent.

He couldn’t think! The monster army kept growing in numbers and his knights were being pushed back, towards the town.

The prince’s heart sank. _They were going for the citizens._

“STOP THIS CORRUPTION NOW, IMP!” He tried to hide the desperation in his voice but by the grin on the devilish face, he failed.

The fiend slammed his foot into the prince’s chest, sending him to the ground.

“Stop?!” he asked incredulously, a laugh breaking through.

The fiend extended his arms, presenting himself to Roman, as they locked eyes. “How can you expect me to stop using this wonderful gift you’ve bestowed upon me?! Why, I think that would be quite rude.”

_…what?_

Roman’s body locked up as his mind registered the words. He felt his chest constrict painfully as a few more connections snapped.

_….No…._

The fiend was watching him carefully, leaning forward with what almost seemed like bated breath.

Roman was properly shaking right now.

_…I…I didn’t…I wouldn’t…_

The imp’s gaze sharpened all of a sudden, a wicked smile stretching his lips. “Ah! There it is!”

The price’s eyes focused on him, going wide as a chill ran up his spine and settled in the back of his head.

“Can you feel me…” He asked excitedly as his eyes began to glow that same fiery red. “…crawling up your spine?”

The fiend charged with inhuman speed, his axe high in the air, and brought it down on top of the prince; who was able to raise his sword in time to stop it.

The fiend continued in a calm voice, pressing down his axe. “Can’t you see? It’s you, Roman…it was your decision.”

Roman swallowed hard as his knees were forced to bend from the pressure. The fear was clear on his face. 

“You’re lying…just like the snake.” Roman gritted out, anger making his voice shake.

The smile just kept growing sharper. “Am I? It was your failure at the audition.”

“No, it wasn’t…it was just….” Roman tighten his holds on sword with both hands to stop it from shaking.

“What?” The imp asked curiously. “Was it…Anxiety?”

“No.” Roman answered firmly trying to push back with his weapon.

“Morality? Logic?”

The creative side shook his head, quick to answer. “No, no, no…they didn’t do anything!”

The fiend used the opportunity to press down harder, forcing the prince to fall on one knee. Roman gasped but still kept his sword up, ready to fight but ones again the fiend stepped back, making a show of scratching his chin and thinking about the prince’s words carefully before gasping dramatically.

“Are you…” He walked forward, disbelief clear on his sharp face. “…are you blaming Thomas for this?!”

Roman choked on his breath, his grip on his sword loosening. “WHAT?! NO! No, I’m not! I wasn't! How could you….?! Of course, I’m not!”

“Then who’s to blame?!” The fiend’s tone rose, a piercing ringing started to fill the creative side’s ears as his heart hammered in his chest. “Who’s at fault here, Roman?”

The prince’s breaths quickened.

“By your words I can only see one side with evidence against them.” The fiend’s eyes shifted towards the corrupted knights attacking their brethren.

Roman’s stared at his knights, tears falling down his face, as he shook on the spot. ”No, no, no this is you! I’m not doing this...” he muttered the final part under his breath.

The fiend pulled his arm back and threw his axe at the prince. Thankfully, Roman had enough instinct to move but was too distracted to do so on time and the axe cut across his upper arm.

The prince cried out but before he could recover the fiend ran towards him, retrieving his axe and swinging it ones again.

Roman was able to stop all the attacks but just barely. He was wincing with every move, body covered in sweat, dirt and blood. His eyes were glassy and unfocused and oh so terrified. _He couldn’t think._

The fiend brought his axe down again; Roman stopped it but the blade managed to sink an inch into his shoulder. He gasped in pain and his opponent grinned in triumph.

The fiend’s eyes met with the price's and he continued talking casually as if they weren’t currently waging a war.

“I mean, how you could have thought that Thomas had any chance of winning with you at the helm and that jittery little ball of anxiety at his back?”

Roman swallowed hard, trying to stay on his feet. _Everything hurt so much._

“You let that happen, Roman. You failed him.”

“No…No I-I didn’t….I couldn’t have…” Roman kept trying to push the axe back but it was like there was a layer of concrete on top of it.

_He wasn’t doing this! This wasn’t him. He didn’t do this! He couldn’t…he couldn’t have known how things would go…he couldn’t have…could he…_

The prince looked up at the fiend and was shocked to see him begin to _grow_ in size; his horns curved even more, sharpening and the spikes on his back extended in length, making him look even more nightmarish. 

He grinned down at the prince; the pupils in his eyes gone, now replaced with hot red. “Liar.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “NO! I’M NOT! YOU ARE! YOU’RE THE LIAR!” Roman screamed, squeezing his eyes shut and jumped to the side; the axe sliced a bit of his hip and calf as it came down hard. 

“I DIDN’T DO THIS!”

Roman staggered on his hands and knees but forced his body upright. The screams of his knights kept pulling his gaze away from his opponent.

_He wasn’t doing this to them! He wasn’t! He didn’t mean to!_

The fiend charged forward, bringing his axe down again and again. “You gave me this power, princeling!”

“YOU MADE ME WHAT I AM NOW…!” The axe in the fiend’s hands glowed and heated, the iron it was made from starting to melt; yet it still kept its shape.

With every swing Roman was being burned as melted iron splashed across his skin.

The fiend’s laughter was deafening as his attacks rained down upon the side. “ **UNBEATABLE**!”

Roman felt as he was being pushed back with every hit, his legs shaking from the strain. His vision was blurring at the edges, he felt hot blood slide down his face. The laughter and screams all around him blended together in a cacophony of maddening voices.

_I can’t…_

“ **UNSHAKABLE**!” A victorious scream managed to make his eyes focus forward to see the large horned figure of the fiend approach with inhuman speed.

He lifted the sword up as he saw the axe come from below. The two blades connected and Roman gasped as he felt his shoulder pop out of its socket from the sheer power of that attack.

But he stopped it. _He did it. He stopped him._

The glow of the axe began to intensify so much it hurt to look at. He felt his feet sliding back as the fiend continued to push up.

Roman’s breath quickened as he realized… _I can’t hold it…._

“ **INDESTRUCTIBLE**!” The fiend roared and energy exploded from the axe.

Time stopped for a moment as Roman felt his feet leave the ground and then it was like someone fast forwarded everything.

He was blown up into the sky, like a bullet being fired. The air was knocked out of his lungs and replaced with agony. The cold wind cut across his skin and pieces of his armor shattered off his body.

And then he connected with something solid and everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again he was lying on cold hard stone. A small part of his brain registered that this was the stone his castle was made of. He managed to pushed himself to his hands and knees, his limbs shaking as he did so.

Every movement was torment. All sound was piercing. Every new breath was torture. He could feel the broken bones in his body shift. His eyes stung with unshed tears.

There was blessed stillness...

A shadow fell over him and he recognized its horned shape.

Roman squeezed his eyes shut, tears falling involuntary on the stone ground.

“Have you realized it yet, princeling?”

Roman could see large clawed crocodile like feet step in his line of sight. “This time I win.”

He could hear the smile on the creatures face. “And unfortunately for you that’s all I will need to end you.”

His laugh echoed in his ears before his foot connected with Roman's chest, sending new bolts of agony through his battered body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy! This is intense shit y'all ! What the hell?! XD 
> 
> Anyway if ya want, leave some kudos/comment for me, it always puts a smile on my face and see ya next time. ^_^


	9. Saved from Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter my fellow humans! Hope you like it! 
> 
> P.S. Pardon my mistakes please.

It was carnage.

There wasn’t any other word to describe what Logan was seeing. Well there probably were but none which encapsulated the image so perfectly.

Beasts and men waged war before his eyes and it very much reminded Logan of those paintings of battles Thomas had seen at museums. Beautiful splashes of color and imagination twisted together to create something utterly horrifying.

The logical side took a deep breath, shaking himself off his stupor and turned to the other two sides. He grabbed Patton and Virgil and began pulling them back.

“Come on we have to go to the castle!”

“What?! NO!” Virgil yanked his hand away, taking a step back. “We have to help Roman!”

“How! How do you suppose we do that?!” Logan snapped, feeling both helpless and selfish. “The minute we go into that battlefield we’ll be ripped to shreds!”

Virgil’s eyes got wide, fear blossoming in them in an instant. He looked down, his hands balling into fists as he muttered under his breath. “…fuck.”

That’s when Patton’s whistle pulled their gazes towards him and to their absolute shock two seemingly wild horses trotted towards the moral side casually.

“Come on!” He waved at them. “We might find a way to help Roman at the castle!”

The other two sides shared a look before running to him.

“How did you do that?!” Logan couldn’t help but ask as Patton straddled a brown horse with white legs.

“They like me!” He announced with an easy smile, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world and to the logical side’s surprise, the horse nodded its head in agreement.

Virgil huffed a disbelieving laugh before getting on the other horse; its body gray with black spots scattered all over it.

Logan settled behind Patton and the three sides were off.

***

As they approached the town, the sides ones again were stopped by the image unfolding around them.

The nightmarish beasts had reached the town and were currently destroying homes and ripping whoever got in their way to shreds.

The locals were trying to push them back and there were a few knights fighting alongside them but it was to no avail. The number of monsters was just steadily growing.

Just then a sound like thunder breaking through the sky echoed from the battlefield as a wave of energy blew passed the whole town.

All eyes turned to the battle and shocked screams rang through the air as everyone saw the prince being blasted into the air, his red cape billowing in the wind like a beacon, and colliding with one of the towers of the castle. Moments later the leader of the beasts, on top of his lizard, was seen jumping up after the prince.

Silence settled in the air for a moment before it was broken by the nightmares’ victorious cries.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit! GO!” Virgil yelled to his horse and it went into a full gallop in moments; Patton and Logan followed, quickly catching up with him.

They raced pass the chaos around them, trying to steer away from all the trouble but it was getting harder and harder. There were too many monsters.

“We’ll never reach him in time at this rate.” Logan yelled through the chaos, tension clear in his voice as he looked ahead.

“DAMN IT! Just keep going!” Virgil gritted out making his horse go faster, his eyes never leaving the place where Roman had crashed.

Patton looked around anxiously as they passed through the streets of the crumbling town, his eyes lingering on the fleeing families all running together hand in hand.

He watched one family in particular run by a little away from them; a mother, a father and three children. One of the children suddenly tripped and fell, her hand slipping from her brother’s grip. The little girl cried out, reaching for her family. When her father heard her, he instantly pulled away from the others, who kept running and quickly snatched back his little girl. He landed a solid hit on one of the approaching nightmares and sprinted back to the rest of the family.

Patton’s eyes when to the tower of the castle, before shifting to Logan and Virgil’s faces.

The moral side made his horse run closer to Virgil’s, reached out and touched its neck.

“You have to go help him, kiddo!” Patton suddenly said to the anxious side.

Virgil’s head snapped to the moral side. “What?!”

Logan stared at Patton for a few seconds, his mind racing, before it suddenly clicked. “Yes.” He muttered to himself before looking up at Virgil. “Go help that idiot, we’ll catch up!”

Vigil’s wide eyes kept jumping from one side to the other, his anxiety spiking. “What?! No! Are you crazy?! Come with me!”

Patton smiled apologetically. “Sorry kiddo, don’t have enough juice for all of us.”

Virgil grabbed Patton’s wrist, fear constricting his chest. “No, no, no! I can’t help him on my own! I have literally made one thing and it was shit!” he tried desperately.

“Of course you can kiddo! I believe in you!” Patton smiled reassuringly. “We’ll catch up as fast as we can! Promise!” Patton said before closing his eyes and concentrating.

Virgil’s breath quickened. "No, no, no! Patton!"

Logan grabbed the anxious side's hand and pulled it away from Patton’s wrist, locking eyes with him.

“Virgil, listen to me. You were born to protect Thomas and everything that he is.” Virgil’s breath hitched at the words, his brows flying up.

Logan gripped his hand firmly. “You can do this! Roman needs you.”

Virgil opens his mouth to respond but in that moment two giant black wings suddenly unfurled from the sides of Virgil’s horse. The other horse jumps away startled, separating the three sides.

Anxiety’s steed neighed and with one mighty swing of its wings Virgil was rocketing into the air.

The world under the anxious side shrank in seconds as they lifted into the sky. Virgil stopped breathing for a moment, his grip on the horse’s mane ironing. He shut his eyes, trying to breathe but the cold wind kept beating down on him.

The harsh ascend abruptly stopped giving the anxious side a chance to take a breath. The horse neighed again, shaking its head trying to get Virgil’s attention.

He cracked his eyes open and quickly looked forward, barely managing not to glance down.

He gasped at the castle before him, pure white and so very magnificent. In moments his eyes zeroed in on where Roman had hit the stone tower. There was a wide balcony just below it and right now a fight was raging.

As the horse flew closer he saw the fiend towering over the price, landing blow after blow on his back. Roman was on his knees trying to fight back. His armor was broken and missing in places, blood was smeared all across his body.

A wave of anger washed over Virgil as all the anxiety drained away from his body, replaced immediately with pure boiling hot adrenaline.

_He had to save Roman!_

“Go!” He yelled and the horse dove towards the castle, its wings beating faster and faster. Virgil pulled the crocked sword from his belt and held it tight in his grip.

Anger blazed in the anxious side’s eyes as he watched the devilish creature kick Roman.

The horse circled the tower a few times, getting lower and lower and when they were right above the fiend Virgil took a deep breath and _jumped._

He raised his sword above his head and let gravity take over.

His descend was immediate and it felt like the first time they fell into Roman’s world but this time there was no bright sun to warm their skin or vibrant colors take their breath away.

Right now the wind was harsh, so freezing it felt like it was cutting up his skin. The colors were dark and the sky roared above him like a monster.

Virgil gripped the sword tight and did his best to aim for devilish beast. In moments his blade connected with the creature’s skin, sinking in surprisingly easy.

_Yes!_

There was a roar of pain but the anxious side was only focused on pressing down the sword. The blade stopped abruptly and Virgil’s feet hit stone hard, a shock of pain raced up his body.

He looked up and was met with the horned devilish face of Roman’s enemy. Fire glowed in its enraged eyes as he growled.

His body towered over Virgil who felt a spike of fear at the sight but quickly gritted his teeth and yanked his weapon out.

The fiend screeched in pain again while he stumbled back, trying to get as much distance as possible between them.

He saw in the background his horse slam into the giant lizard and push it off the balcony before flying away.

Surprisingly, the fiend did not acknowledge this at all, apparently to occupied with staring at him and holding his new would. There was a look of pure shock on his face. “You…”

“V-Virgil…” The anxious side heard Roman croak behind him. He resisted the urge to look behind him, because he knew the minute he did he would drop everything and go to check on the prince and right now the danger was too great to ignore.

_He’s alive. He’s awake, that’s the important thing._

“How did you do that?!” The devilish creature roared taking a step forward. Fury and power emanated from his body and Virgil felt himself tremble.

“I am unshakable! INVINCIBLE! YOU CANNOT HURT ME!!!”

Virgil took a step back, shocked by the statement. He looked down to his crooked sword which was still intact despite the brutal attack. He had honestly expected it to break a long time ago but no, here it was now, steady in his grip and warming his palm.

**_Heavy and strong. His creation. Made to defeat any monster. Made to protect._ **

_I can do this._

Virgil swallowed hard gripping his crooked sword tight, trying to mask the fear on his face with a smirk. “Well sorry to break it to you pal…but this is a magic fucking sword!”

Purple energy like fire suddenly exploded from the sword, traveling up and enveloping it whole in seconds.

Virgil’s shocked gasp promptly turned into a breathy laugh as he watched the purple fire glow and rage around his weapon.

A wicked grin curved across his lips.

And the next thing the fiend new the anxious side was charging at him, full speed.

***

Patton watched Virgil soar into the sky and smiled, calmness washing over him despite the chaos around them. He knew Virgil would take care of Roman.

“Patton, that was a brilliant idea! Now we must hurry to the castle!” Patton could feel Logan’s warmth against his back, but his voice sounded muffled which was strange.

He shook his head a bit.

The edges of the moral side’s vision began to darken and blur. “They’ll be fine.” He muttered to himself and Logan said something but he didn’t understand it. He was suddenly so very tired.

His eyes fell shut and he went limp as exhaustion consumed him.

“Patton!” Logan quickly wrapped a hand around the moral side’s waist as he felt him start to keel over. He pulled him up and against his chest, peering over to see his face.

There was a streak of blood coming out of his nose.

_Oh no…_

“Patton, wake up!” He shook him a little while looking ahead and trying to guide the horse away from the roaming beasts.

“I can’t do anything here! You have to wake up!” He tried again desperately but the other side was dead-weight.

The screams of people and roars of monster intensified as they went deeper into the town. The horse dodged as best as it could but they were becoming too much.

Logan pulled at the horse’s mane to make it stop as they neared the castle gates.

One small stone bridge kept them apart from a horde of monsters, who were scrapping at the metal gates, trying to get in.

“No, no, no…” He muttered under his breath and pulled on the horse’s mane, wanting to make it turn around. The horse neighed as the tug was too hard but still took a few steps back.

Unfortunately, that was enough to catch the beasts’ attention. One by one they turned towards them, the screeching sounds of claws against metal dying out.

Logan tugged on the horse’s mane again, fear filling his lungs and making his voice shake. “Go, go, go back!”

The horse went to turn around but abruptly stopped, neighing in distress. Logan looked behind him to see five other monsters inching towards them, foaming at the mouth.

Logan tightened his hold on Patton, looking from one group of beasts to the other. He felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest as cold sweat trickled down his back.

_No no no no no no!_

A beast, very much resembling a half-man, half-bull bellowed and charged at them. The logical side could hear the beasts behind them screech viciously as well, preparing to attack.

_They were surrounded. This was it. They were going to die. They’re about be ripped to shreds._

“Lo…gan.” Patton’s strained whisper cut through everything like a knife.

Logan’s dark eyes snapped down and met with Patton’s bright ones. He was tired and confused but very much awake, very much alive. But they were about to die...

“L-Logan?” He said again and Logan could see the beads of sweat on his brow; could feel the shaking of his body. The logical side’s grip tightened on the moral side.

**_No…_ **

A roar from above them tore Logan attention from Patton and he looked up just in time to see the bull monster in the air coming down at them, claws out.

Logan’s eyes went wide, his adrenaline spiking as he felt time slow before his eyes. He could hear his heart hammering in his chest as his mind screamed at him to do something.

Just as everything jump back into motion his hand flew up and rows upon rows of dark-blue zeroes and ones materialized in front of his eyes, morphing into a wide square shield. It shone with a lighter shade of blue between the numbers and Logan could feel the energy seeping out of it.

The beast hit the shield and was immediately ejected with a blast of energy.

Logan was breathing hard, unable to tear his eyes away from his creation.

“Logan…” Patton gasped out, as he gazed at the logical side’s shield. “You did it!”

Logan looked down at the now smiling Patton and breathed out a disbelieving laugh. “I..I just…”

Three screeches came from behind them and Logan looked over his shoulder and lifted up his other hand.

A second shield appeared, this time bigger and slammed into the monsters. They yelped as they were sent flying.

Patton laughed in excitement. “Oh my goodness, Logan!”

Logan felt his heart swell with pride and confidence. He threw both hands at his sides and focused. A dome like shield of ones and zeroes appeared around them.

He smirked.

“Let’s go get, Roman.” Logan said firmly and the horse charged forward; the shield pushing back all assailants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not really happy with the writing of this chapter but I didn't want to delay it too much. 
> 
> I'm pretty sure by now you've figured out what our devilish fiend is but I'd be very interested to know when it actually clicked for you who he was and did you have any suspicions before hand. 
> 
> Anyway leave some kudos/comments if you want, they always make me happy and see ya next chapter. ^_^


	10. Beyond Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a new chapter my fellow beings! I hope you like it and please pardon my mistakes.

The devilish creature swung its mighty battle axe but Virgil managed to quickly dodged to the side and using the momentum he had, stepped on the stone wall next to him and launched himself into the air. 

His magic sword cut across the fiend’s hand easily making it hiss and pullback. Virgil didn’t waste any time and swung again. His confidence grew with every hit.

Another cut. _Yes!_

The courage he was feeling right now was unlike any he had ever experienced. A small part in the back of his mind was frightened, how only a little success was enough to give him the drive to dive in head first into danger. 

And what a danger it was! Even though he was pushing the fiend back its visage was no less frightening, his eyes unconsciously avoiding focusing on its face; the familiarity of the features disturbing him way too much. 

He crouched down as he dove forward, aiming for the fiend’s side while it swung its axe at him again. He felt the sword sink into skin and he pressed in as much as he could.

Another scream rang in his ears and Virgil smiled. _He can do this!_

This time however, the creature did not move back like it usually did, instead a hand as heavy as a boulder suddenly slammed down on his back. He heard a crack as pain sparked up his spine. He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound, unfortunately the impact was too great for his legs to bare and they immediately buckled.

As he watched the shadow of the fiend on the ground raise its hand for another blow, Virgil quickly jumped to the side and backed up on wobbly legs.

He took a deep breath and let it out. _Okay, okay you avoided it. He only got one hit. You're fine, you're okay, just focus._

He heard a groan behind him and looked back to see the prince on his hands and knees trying to crawl towards him. His breath hitched. _What was this idiot doing?!_

"Roman! No! You...you gotta get out of here, now!"

“Virgil, watch out!” Roman yelled out and the sound of bounding footfalls suddenly screamed in the anxious side’s ears.

He lifted the sword up and it crashed into an oncoming axe. He felt his body being pushed back as his feet began to slide on the stone. Virgil looked up and his eyes met with the burning fiery red orbs of the fiends.

Anger twisted his lips up into a feral grin. "You think a few good hits with a measly little magic sword will be enough to stop me?!”

The muscles of its arms bulged as it pressed the axe down harder and Virgil was forced to one kneed, his hands starting to shake as he held on.

“I grow stronger with each passing moment!” He bellowed and the anxious side was suddenly slammed to the ground, his back cracking on the stone floor, his sword thankfully managing to stay in the way of the axe even though his grip loosened.

His vision was still fuzzy from the hit when a small dagger went flying above Virgil’s head and sank into the fiend’s already injured shoulder.

It hissed and looked up, startled. It's face contorted into a distasteful frown.

“You are really starting to get on my nerves.” He growled and Virgil looked back to see Roman, kneeling on the ground holding his side with one hand and pulling out a new dagger from his boot with the other. 

_No, no, no, no don’t look at him!_ Virgil thought, panicked.

The anxious side used the opportunity to roll out of the way and dive behind the fiend. He jammed his sword into its back, the fiery purple energy intensifying as he pressed down harder, willing it to burn as much as it could.

The fiend howled in pain, starting to trash around like an animal, its long crocodile like tail swung up and slammed into Virgil’s back, the spikes on top of it sinking into the side's skin. 

The tail pulled back, taking Virgil with it and whipped to the side, throwing the side into the stone wall of the castle.

The devilish creature turned to Anxiety, foaming at the mouth with fury. “You annoying little rat!”

Its axe glowed and began to melt in its grasp. Virgil's eyes went wide as he looked at it, momentarily forgetting that his sword was still embedded in the fiend's back.

It swung its weapon and Virgil managed to dodge it unfortunately, a spray of melted iron spattered across his body, burning his face in particular. 

He tried scrubbing it off with his sleeves but the iron drops had burned themselves into his skin. He could feel their smooth surface as he ran his hands over his face. He was gasping in pain when his eyes shifted to the creative side on the ground, who was still moving towards them, _the fucking idiot_.

The axe was suddenly thrown at him and he barely had time to move his head to the left as it sank into the stone. He felt its burning heat on the side of his face, his heart beating like a jackrabbit's. That had almost killed him! His head was almost split into two, his mind screamed at him unhelpfully.

The all too familiar fear crept up his body, locking it in place.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._

His mind was blank, his ears picking up only the sound of his own gasping breaths.

Burning hot agony assaulted his skin as the melting iron from the axe next to him began to drip down onto his shoulder. The smell and feel of burning flesh were what jolted him from the shock.

**_Roman!_** was the first coherent thought that made him move. His head whipped to the side and he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Roman, RUN!”

The fiend’s eyes shifted to the prince and the scowl on its face twisted into a cruel smile. He lifted his hand and the axe dislodged itself from the wall and flew back to him.

He grasped it tight, giving Virgil a knowing look before bolting towards the other side.

“No!” Virgil screamed and ran after him. He could see Roman trying to craw away from the oncoming attack, terror in his eyes but he was barely making any progress.

Virgil caught up, right behind the fiend's huge body. He lifted his hand towards his blade but all of a sudden, the fiend swiftly turned on its heels and thrust his giant clawed hand towards him.

It's huge hand grasped his neck and part of his chest, rendering him immobile. The fiend continued to move, using his gathered momentum to swing him around, doing a full 180 and slamming him into the ground.

Virgil heard Roman cry out for him before his skull connected with solid stone. Everything went white with pain and the anxious side felt the air leave his body in seconds.

The fiend released the side and straightened up, sparing a glance at the prince, who looked beyond distressed. “Since you refuse to grasp the severity of the situation, I’ll have to show it to you.”

Roman's heart stopped as the meaning behind the words registered in his brain.

The prince tried to speak but there was no breath in his lungs to help form the words. His body shook violently as he crawled forward. Roman tried to stand up, but his legs kept buckling under him, unable to hold his weight. He managed to take a breath and force the words out, the sounds traveling up his throat cutting like razors.

“N-no, no, no p-please! Stop! I-I have, I swear I have! Please, don't do this! Don't hurt him! He hasn't done anything! It's not his fault! It's mine! It's my fault...it's me! Hurt me! Hurt me, not him! Please, please....I'm begging you!"

The fiend watched patiently as the prince broke down in front of him, satisfaction blooming over his face.

Tears fell freely from the the side's eyes as he struggled to move towards them, still pleading with all his heart. After a few moments his words began to die out as the pain in his throat became too much to bear. He stopped talking and began to wheeze. 

After a few moments of tense silence, the fiend hummed, seemingly thinking over his plea before answering.

“I don't believe you." A huge feral smile split across his lips as he lifted the axe above his head. He let it linger there, watching the prince's expression crumble in despair. 

“NO! STOP!” Roman cried, reaching out but unable to touch.

Virgil’s eyes cracked open just in time to see the melting axe come down towards his face. His breath hitched as his eyes went wide.

The bright glow of the axe illuminated the devilish fiend's face, making it seem even more terrifying.

He felt his heart stop.

“VIRGIL!” Roman screamed, his sore throat tearing from the strain.

A blue shield made out of ones and zeroes materialized right above Virgil as the axe impacted. A blast of blue energy erupted from the shield, knocking the fiend back.

The scream died on Romans lips, as he stared in shock. He blinked, his fried brain having difficulty processing what was happening right now.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a figure walk up next to him and when he turned his head there stood Logan; His face cold, lips pursed into a line and his eyebrows frowned in concentration as he extended his hand forward.

Roman couldn’t believe his eyes. He opened his mouth to say but Virgil beat him to it.

“Logan!” The anxious side had lifted himself up into a sitting position and turned back to them.

“Are you alright?” The logical side asked evenly as he moved closer towards Virgil, his eyes staying firmly locked on the fiend.

Roman lifted his hand up, wanting to reach out and grab onto Logan, a small part of him repeating that this couldn't be real.

That's when the prince felt arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him into a familiar embrace.

_It can't be..._

“Patton...?” he whispered in disbelief, new tears filling his eyes.

The hug tightened and a cheek rested on the top of his head, as the moral side’s reassuring voice filled his ears. “Don’t worry kiddo, I gotcha.”

Warmth suddenly seeped into his body and it was like he could finally take a breath again. Roman stiffened as he felt all his aches and burns start to subside.

He pulled back to look at the moral side in awe. “P-Patton…you…?”

The side smiled and pulled Roman’s head forward, planting a firm kiss on his forehead. More warmth flowed from that spot and it was like he was sitting in front of a fireplace, the constant ringing and chill in his body was chased away in seconds. The constant burning of brimstone and rot in his nose was replaced with the smell of newly bloomed flowers and rain. The throbbing pain all over his body faded and the relief that came with it was so sudden and somehow foreign to him that he couldn't stop himself from gasping. 

New tears flowed from Roman's eyes and the moral side immediately pulled him against his chest. Roman began to openly cry, his fingers sinking into the moral side's shirt as he leaned closer, needing more. Patton began to rock him a little, shushing him quietly and rubbing his back. 

Logan glance behind him to see Roman in Patton's embrace as he reached out his hand and pulled Virgil to his feet. “Took you… long enough.” The side said with a wince. Logan steadied him when he wobbled.

“My apologies. We had some trouble.”

The fiend threw his axe at them and Logan's hand snapped up, a new binary code shield immediately spreading out a foot away from them, knocking it back.

Virgil grinned, lightly punching the logical side’s shoulder. “Knew you could figure it out, L!”

A small smile creped over Logan’s lips. "Yes, it took a while unfortunately."

"The important thing is that you got it." Virgil dusted himself off and reached his hand out, concentrating. His eyes spotted the sword, which had dislodged itself from the fiend's back when he was knocked back and now stood a few feet away from the creature.

Purple energy began to dance all over the sword and when Virgil yanked his hand back the sword flew to him. He grasped it and smirked, getting into a fighting stance. “Cover me?”

Logan gave a firm nod. "He will not touch you."

The anxious side grinned and took off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! 
> 
> Finally the gang is back together, which means we're nearing the end!   
> And oh man I did not expect the fight to take so long but it just keeps growing, sorry I can't help it! 
> 
> Anyway if you liked it leave a comment/kudos, they always make me happy and see ya next chapter! ^_^


	11. Choice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the new chapter! Pardon for the long wait and hope you like it. 
> 
> Please pardon my mistakes.

The melting axe came down hard on Virgil’s sword, burning hot energy exploding from it, knocking the anxious side back. He hit the ground with a yelp and skidded across it, hard stone tearing at the skin on his back.

He rolled over, getting to his feet as fast as he could, which he realized a moment later was a bad idea. The world tilted around him and he stumbled.

He felt the ground shake as the fiend bounding towards him, like an incoming missile. Fortunately, moments before the blow, a bright blue binary shield appeared, its cool energy an immediate comfort, like an ocean breeze, it gave him a second of peace.

He glanced behind him, catching sight of Logan, standing tall and unyielding. He gave a nod and Logan returned it firmly. 

He took a deep breath and locked eyes with his enemy.

He’s not alone. Logan is here, ready to take any blow. 

Virgil charged, purple energy trashing in his grasp. He landed blow after blow and yet nothing was slowing down. The fiend was still as vicious as ever, looking bare injured.

_I’ll just have to hit him harder_ , he thought as he looked up to see the axe bounce off the shield again before bolting forward with a roar.

***

Roman stared in shock, shaking on the spot as Virgil fought tooth and nail against the fiend; Logan a few feet behind him, almost like a shadow following his every move, stopping any deadly blow that came his way.

He could see they were holding their own but it wasn’t going to last. He could see Logan barely managing to move his barrier in time to stop some of the faster blows. He was getting tired despite the intense look of focus on his face.

His gaze moved and Roman still couldn’t believe the anxious side could move properly after the beat down he took. However, it was apparent Virgil was getting slower, needing to pause from time to time to catch his breath and get his legs to steady.

_They can't handle it. It was just a matter of time._

He grabbed Patton’s shirt drawing his attention. “Patton…y-you…you all need to leave!”

His eyes snapped up to the prince’s face. “What?! No! Roman are you crazy?! We’re not leaving you!” The moral side’s grip tightened.

“No! You have to! They can’t…” He looked back at the other two sides with fear. “…they can’t beat him! He will tear you all apart! Please!”

“No.” Patton said sternly, the tone making Roman pause. “After everything we….” He cupped Roman's face, looking remorseful. “After seeing what you had to go through…after what he did to you…” Tears shone in the more side’s eyes as he gritted his teeth. “We are never going to leave you alone again!”

_This is wrong. This is dangerous. They're not supposed to be here. They can’t do this. I can't be responsible for..._

Roman grabbed Patton’s wrists and yanked his hands off his face. “This is my fight!” He tried again to reason desperately, his gaze jumping from the moral side to the other two fighting.

“No, it’s not!” Patton snapped making Roman’s protest die on his lips. Patton grabbed the other side’s shoulders, needing to make him understand.

“Listen to me, this is not all on _you_! It was never supposed to be! Thomas is _ours_ to care for! His doubt is _ours_ to deal it!”

Roman’s eyes went wide at the moral side’s words.

_He knew…_

Patton grabbed the back of his head, drawing his full attention. “I know that you think it’s your job and you job alone to fight but please understand that it’s not and I am so sorry that you’ve had to deal with this for so long….”

Patton looked away, tears now freely falling from his eyes. “I didn’t know…I...I didn't...” He shook his head, berating himself before locking eyes with Roman again. “I didn’t but I should have! We all should have! And I promise you from now on we will!”

Roman shook his head. “Patton….”

“I don’t care if you want our help or not, this is our choice!”

***

Logan felt a slight shake to his left hand as the axe slashed across his shield over and over again. Virgil ran away from his enemy and he used the opportunity to dissolve the shield and prepare to make a new one.

He had discovered that his barriers were not in fact indestructible as he initially thought. It could be cracked and probably broken with enough powerful blows but he was not going to let his enemy discover that information.

So he kept making new shields whenever one began to crack. It was tiring but as of now incredibly effective if the frustrated look on the monster’s face was anything to go by.

They simply needed to tire it out. It was just a matter of time.

Virgil jumped out of the way of a hit and Logan ran forward aiming to stay close so as to have a quicker reaction time.

The fiend swung his weapon again and a splash of white hot iron flew towards the anxious side. Logan immediately created a shield in front of Virgil. He had seen the iron drips melted into his face from a previous attack and told himself no more were needed.

Virgil moved quickly, his smaller form proving to be quite useful. He slid across the ground passing between the fiend’s legs and slashing one of its heels. The fiend growled trying to hit him but the anxious side stayed low to the ground, stabbing red flesh whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Logan saw the spiked tail swing at Virgil and immediately created a barrier, slamming it down on top of it. The fiend stumbled, unable to free its tail.

Virgil went for its head but apparently the monster was expecting it as its answering blow came from the side.

Logan’s breath hitched.

He released the tail and made a barrier inches away from Virgil’s face. The axe bashed across it and Logan felt a crack form.

_Not good._

A sudden blast exploded from the fiendish weapon knocking the shield and Virgil back.

Logan shut his eyes from the bright light of the blast. The anxious side hit the ground hard and Logan dissolved the shield before it could shatter on its own.

He opened his eyes when he heard a deep chuckle.

The fiend was standing still, looking at Logan with a vicious grin. “Let’s see if you can keep up little Logic.”

Logan felt a chill run down his spine.

The next thing he knew the fiend was throwing its melting axe at him.

A shield materialized in front of him in seconds but as his gaze focused on his enemy beyond the ones and zeros he saw him charge at the anxious side on the ground.

Logan’s heart stopped.

The axe was just about to hit the barrier and the fiend’s giant claw were about to tear into Virgil.

He lifted his other hand and a second shield appeared in front of the anxious side.

The axe connected and the claws crashed down onto the shields.

_Crack…crack, crack…._ _Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack…._

Logan gritted his teeth.

The shields shattered.

_Damn it._

Logan’s vision blurred and he stumbled. Darkness licked the sides of his vision and he shook it off. His head was throbbing and his chest was aching. There was a sudden weakness to his knees, he was surprised how fast his energy drained.

How was Virgil still fighting after so much expanded energy, the logical side thought as he lifted his eyes. His gaze managed to clear as he watched Virgil scramble towards him frantically, his brows frowned with concern. 

They grabbed onto each other immediately, one steadying the other.

“Logan?! You’re bleeding!” Virgil’s worried tone and words helped him focus on the matter at hand.

_There’s no time for this_ , he thought to himself as he felt something trickle over his lips. He wiped it with his hand and realized it was blood dripping from his nose. 

_Not good._

“I’m fine.”

He created a new, bigger shield in front of them, his head spinning for a moment. Unfortunately, the way the fiend was staring at him, with its wide manic grin, it was clear that the current bravado he was trying to build was pointless.

He gritted his teeth, his fist clenching. _He got him._

Logan glanced at the anxious side and tried to mask his grimace as he looked him over; battered, bruised and about to pass out.

_Things just kept getting worse._

“Are you alright?” He knew it was a stupid question but a part of him hoped the lie Virgil was about to say would bring him and inkling of hope.

“I’m super.” Virgil gasped out, forcing a smile but the tremble in his voice and the look on his face told the opposite. The previous confidence was gone from the anxious side’s eyes and it made everything so much worse.

Logan gripped Virgil tightly, his eyes shifting to the slowly approaching fiend.

_We can’t do this…_

_***_

The fiend’s deep growl shook the ground below them, the sky darkening above their heads.

Roman and Patton turned to the fight to see Virgil and Logan holding on to each other, looking exhausted. The devilish fiend was standing a few feet away from them, its axe lying on the ground before the two sides’ feet.

One of the fiend’s clawed hands extended forward and the axe flew back into its grasp. Thunder roared from the clouds as the monster spread its hands.

Despite the distance they all heard, clear as day as the fiend took a deep inhale before a satisfied rumble came from its chest.

The rumble became a deep chuckle which sharpened into a laugh as the fiend began to grow in size before their eyes. It’s ones human shape turning more animalistic with every passing second.

“Holy shit!” Virgil exclaimed as he stepped back with Logan.

Roman curled into himself, squeezing his eyes shut as the laughter tore into his ears.

“Patton, get Roman and go!” Logan yelled out as the already created shield expanded and thickened.

“No I…” Patton hesitated, getting to his feet and standing in front of Roman, trying to shield him as best as he could yet still wanting to do something. “…I-I can help!”

“Patton, get the hell out of here now!” Virgil barked as he tightened his hold on the sword and the purple flames blazed to life.

The prince could hear the chaos around him. He could feel Patton’s shaking legs press against his back. Roman pulled his knees to his chest, lowering his head and covering his ears with his hands.

_This was it...He failed...He lost...They all lost because of him...Everything was going to be destroyed....They were all going to...._

Fresh tears spilled from his eyes as he began to shake. The sounds around him muffled and distorted.

The stench of brimstone and rot was everywhere again and it burned.

**_I have to do this…_ **

_This is not all on you!_

  
**_This is my fight…_ **

_You know we would gladly give up anything for...!_

**_I have to protect everyone…._ **

_We wish to fight with you!_

  
_I know that you think it’s your job and you job alone to fight but please understand it’s not!_

**_This is my duty…._ **

_Thomas is ours to care for!_

_This sentimentality will be your end!_

  
_We want to see you prevail!_

_This is our choice!_

Roman cried harder, barely able to catch his breath. 

Among the chaos in his mind old, forgotten words said by a smooth voice with sharp eyes crept their way in his ears as if brand new.

~~_One cog cannot turn a whole wheel, Roman._ ~~

Roman gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut, hating everything and everyone but mostly himself as his lips parted and his voice rang through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but these last few chapter keep rubbing me the wrong way for some reason. I don't like how I've written them and I keep rewriting everything but it still seems off. I don't know. Sorry about that. 
> 
> Anyway leave kudos/comment if you like, it always helps and see ya later. ^_^


	12. The Bittersweet Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello sorry for the long wait but I had some personal issues. 
> 
> Please pardon any mistakes.

Roman gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut, hating everything and everyone but mostly himself for what he was about to do.

He parted his lips, felt the sound travel up his torn throat and ring through the chaos.

“ _ **Please**_ …” He whispered and yet his voice carried like an echo, filling everyone’s ears. The other three sides turned towards him as if enchanted, the horror before them momentarily forgotten.

“ _ **…** ** _I_ know it is too much to ask**_…” The words hurt both physically and emotionally as he forced them out but he didn’t dare and try to hold back their tremble, didn’t try and hide how much he wished he could stop speaking.

“ _ **…but I can’t do this alone**_.” His voice reached everyone around him. It was strange how he could feel both helpless and yet so powerful in this moment. 

Below them the battle cries suddenly died.

“ _ **So…I ask…for your help….**_ ”

The wind began to pick up but this time it wasn’t like a winter’s bite. It was a warm breeze of long forgotten summer days. It carried with it the aroma of home, of childhood and the feeling of the pure, unabashed joy of creation.

There was a rumble below them and the three sides turned to see a bright light begin to grow from the edge of the castle balcony.

Suddenly like fireworks hundreds of glowing shapes erupted from below. They flew up into the air, dancing across the sky and lighting up the darkness around them. Their wild directionless movements began to develop a patter and soon enough they were circling the sky right above the fallen prince.

Roman looked up with wide tear filled eyes. He slowly reached out, mesmerized by the sight above him. _He knew what was happening…_

When the fiend himself realized what was about to transpire he rushed at Roman, wildly.

Thankfully, Virgil saw the attempt and quickly jumped in the way, swinging his sword. A purple slash of energy erupted from his blade and went flying, slamming into the fiend with surprising force.

The fiend’s assault was momentarily stopped as the purple slash crashed into the axe, pushing the creature back. Rage flared across its features as he regained his balance and redoubled his advance.

The anxious side gritted his teeth, locked his stance and prepared for the second impact, his sword blazing to life ones more. A hand landed on one of his shoulders and Virgil glanced to the side to find Logan supporting him. Lifting his hand up, he focused on the anxious side's blade. A see-through binary force-field encapsulated the black and purple sword, making it appear larger, the colors mixing like fire and ice.

The fiend roared, descending upon them and brought his melting axe down in a fearsome blow. The collision of the two weapons created a harsh explosion; Both parties fighting through the sheer force of it, each one set in their goal.

The fiend regrettably proved to be stronger as he gripped the handle of his weapon and pushed his weight and energy down on the opposing sword. Logan saw the anxious side’s arms shake as he stood his ground. The fiend howled as he pushed against them ones more, Virgil’s feet sliding back against the stone. Logan instantly pressed against his back, keeping him in place. Virgil spared him a quick strained look, nodding his thanks.

The shield around the sword suddenly cracked and Logan gritted his teeth. He tried to force more power into it but he was too exhausted, they were both too exhausted to keep it up for long.

A soft hand touched each side’s back and a flow of warmth coursed through their bodies. The aches and fatigue were washed away by powerful energy and with it came their newly revived strength. They looked behind them to see Patton, hands against their backs, his expression blazing with determination.

The three sides pressed on, +resolute in their desire to hold off the beast as long as Roman needed them to.

***

The prince still didn’t tear his eyes away from the storm above him as it slowly started to descend.

He got to his feet; his face full of gratitude and despair as he gazed upon the glowing colorful lights. They began to take form before his eyes and soon Roman recognized the familiar faces of his knights.

They were transparent yet shining, like made from diamonds. The different colors of the ghostly knights reflected against each other, reminding of a galaxy, with the prince standing tall in the middle.

“I’m sorry…” He whispered as tears streamed down his face.”… Thank you.”

The rainbow hurricane of specters dove down, enveloping him completely. A blast of blinding hot energy erupted from the center, pushing everything back.

Roman was engulfed with the essence of his warriors, all their thoughts and feeling blending together.

He sensed their admiration for him, their pride, their love and worry. So many years of experience and growth racked through his mind and his sorrow only grew. Suddenly, as if his knights could sense it, there was a barrage of gratitude and desire to ease his pain. A want to be whole again came from them and Roman let his confusion spread out to his knights, for he knew that for them to be whole, a loss had to be endured.

_Do not fret my prince for it’s not a full loss_ ….They all whispered in reassurance and Roman began to openly weep a strange mixture of tears born from both love and grief. He felt them inside him, as all that they were cleared and collided into a harmony of pure imagination.

Power blossomed through him, so old and forgotten it almost felt new.

***  
Logan, Patton and Virgil were forced to the ground by the pulse of energy coming from the tornado of colors that was the prince, all manner of weapon flickering off.

The fiend was forced back until he crashed into the edge of the balcony. He bit out a vicious growl and righted himself, ready for more battle.

The glow started to fade and the three sides turned to look behind them. Slowly the flurry of energy dissolved and before them stood Roman.

His armor was new, seemingly made out of crystals, which flickered with every color imaginable. His his body was devoid of any injury and his skin was smooth like porcelain. A golden crow sat atop his head and a red mantle bellowed behind him.

A hurricane of colors raged in his eyes as a glare twisted his soft features. His gaze traveled up to the fiend a few feet away, rage and despair blazing in his eyes. He reached out his hand to the side and a sword made out of pure energy appeared in his grasp; It crackled and sizzled with power as if made out of pure lightning. It was wild, unstable thing and yet as the prince tightened his grip on it a shape formed into a clear long-sword, barely buzzing at the edges.

The fiend laughed maniacally. “Oh what a coward, you are!” His voice dripped with accusation. “I didn’t think you’d be that cruel!”

The prince’s crystal boots scratched against the stone as his foot slid back, taking a stance. His knees bend and in a blink of an eye he was in front of the fiend.

The creature’s face twisted in terror as it yelped and then instinctively attacked.

The prince lifted his sword and the two weapons clashed. A blast of energy knocked the fiend back. It righted itself immediately, looking down to see the glow from its melting axe dim a bit. It panted, shocked at the discovery before recovering quickly and plastering a wicked smile on its face.

“Look at you, acting all high and mighty now that you’ve rigged the game! And here I thought you played fair!”

The prince regarded the creature with such blank coldness it made it feel uneasy. The fiend shook its head, recovering and bolted forward, with a raised weapon.

Roman stood stock still with his weapon lowered, waiting. The minute the fiend was close enough he slashed up. The hand with the axe it its grip flew into the air, now separate from the body. The tip of the crackling sword passed over the side of the devilish face.

A screech of pain came from its throat as it gripped its hand, black ooze dripping from its hand as it shook. The slash on its skin began to sizzle with burning heat.

The prince calmly took a step back, twirling the sword in his hand. “Pick up your weapon, we’re not done.” He said in a cold voice, his sheer presence not allowing any room for arguments.

The fiend scrambled to its weapon, fear flashing in its eyes as it ripped the axe out of the chopped off hand. It grinned again trying desperately to hide the tremor in its body.

“Really? That is your way to victory! And you call me a fiend! I have never been as heinous as you!”

The indifferent look on Roman’s face was replaced with fury. “Don’t you dare speak to me of heinous acts!”

The fiend swallowed hard, looking around frantically before breaking into a run but in seconds Roman was there stepped in its way and slashing across the fiend’s torso.

“YOU! Who took creatures of imagination and corrupted them into nothing more than nightmares!” The prince shouted, his emotions finally spewing out of the carefully placed walls of control.

The fiend shrieked ones more in pain and swung its axe. Roman swiftly stepped away from it and swept his sword across its chest, knocking it back. It cried out, crawling back until its body hit the balcony’s end. It shook and cowered, it’s large form now seeming smaller before the shining prince.

Roman stepped up to him, looking at the beast with disgust and hatred.

“I was fighting you bound and you forced this power on me! Now you must suffer the consequences.” He declared, voice shaking slightly with emotion.

The fiend’s eyes filled with terror as it looked at the prince and saw a wall of hundreds, upon hundreds of transparent figures behind the prince. They sat still in waiting like dogs, featureless and shining with colors. They stood behind their leader; with determination somehow filling they’re hollow eyes.

The prince descended upon him and like a wave they followed.

Slash after slash adorned its body, its flesh spewing with dark ooze.

Dozens of cuts appeared and hundreds of wounds formed.

Roman continued to strike, carving the devil before him piece by piece, his movements a blur of colors, until finally he sliced the fiend down the middle.

The gash exploded with multicolored energy, the shockwave from the attack blowing everything away and clearing the dark skies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again very sorry for the delay, not having the best time the past few weeks. 
> 
> The next chapter will be the last just so you know. I'm thinking of including another chapter where I show how Janus and Remus were dealing with this whole thing but I'm not sure. Please let me know if you would be interested in something like that.   
> Anyway, if you liked this please leave a comment/kudos, it always makes my day. 
> 
> P.S. I know you've heard this before but please wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance so that you can protect yourself and all the people you care about. Stay safe you guys.


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